Manu SanFélix

As a marine biologist and National Geographic explorer, he has dedicated his life to the protection of nature and related research, which he currently pursues mainly as the Pristine Seas project’s filmmaker. This project, led by Dr. Enric Sala, is aimed at studying and protecting the last remaining wild parts of the ocean. San Félix is responsible for bringing the world of underwater wonders to light. 

This sea-loving Madrilenian settled down in Formentera (Canary Islands) after he developed a very special bond with the Mediterranean Sea. This is why it is no surprise that a large part of his work as a marine environmentalist focuses on restoring the health of the sea that washes his adoptive island’s shore and has suffered most from human activity.

To this end, San Félix has been fighting since the 1980s to raise awareness about Neptune grass (posidonia oceanica), a plant native to the Mediterranean whose population is declining and on which the survival of the Mediterranean maritime ecosystem depends. One aspect of this fight has been the creation of Posidonia Maps. Manu San Félix has successfully devised an application that helps ships use their anchors more responsibly and thus reduce their impact on Neptune grass prairies, some of which are over a hundred thousand years old and could become extinct in less than a decade if no action is taken.

As a graphic reporter, San Félix continues to raise awareness on the need to conserve and regenerate the oceans. One of his latest documentaries Let’s save our Mediterranean combines his two passions – the defence of the seas and the Mediterranean. This National Geographic documentary raises the alarm about the critical situation of the Spanish Mediterranean coast as well as analyses the issues if faces and explores solutions.