Spaniards are alarmed Will there soon be no more beaches in the vacation paradise?
Platja D'Aro in Spain: Beaches are disappearing at a sometimes dramatic rate in the vacation paradise.
Image: Emilio Rappold/dpa
Beach promenades are a major problem for Spain's beaches.
Image: dpa
The resentment and protests of environmentalists are increasing.
Image: dpa
A sign at Platja Gran, the "big beach", warns of falling rocks.
Image: dpa
The "big beach" in Platja d'Aro is really big at first glance - but it was much bigger 40 or 50 years ago.
Image: dpa
Bathers lie in one of the many bays on the beach.
Image: dpa
Platja d'Aro is also very popular with foreign tourists. In addition to Spanish and Catalan, you hear a lot of German, French, English and Italian here.
Image: dpa
"If there is no beach, storms have a much more destructive effect," says coastal researcher Ribas.
Image: dpa
Platja D'Aro in Spain: Beaches are disappearing at a sometimes dramatic rate in the vacation paradise.
Image: Emilio Rappold/dpa
Beach promenades are a major problem for Spain's beaches.
Image: dpa
The resentment and protests of environmentalists are increasing.
Image: dpa
A sign at Platja Gran, the "big beach", warns of falling rocks.
Image: dpa
The "big beach" in Platja d'Aro is really big at first glance - but it was much bigger 40 or 50 years ago.
Image: dpa
Bathers lie in one of the many bays on the beach.
Image: dpa
Platja d'Aro is also very popular with foreign tourists. In addition to Spanish and Catalan, you hear a lot of German, French, English and Italian here.
Image: dpa
"If there is no beach, storms have a much more destructive effect," says coastal researcher Ribas.
Image: dpa
Beaches are disappearing in many places around the world, including the vacation paradise of Spain. The first coastal resorts are already taking drastic measures. But the forecasts are gloomy.
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- The "dying beaches" in Spain are taking on dramatic proportions.
- In the 1980s, for example, the "Platja Gran" (big beach) was three times as wide as it is now.
- Experts believe that one reason for this is that coastlines have been built right up to the beach.
- On a natural shoreline, the beach would simply move slowly inland - which is not possible with the dense development.
- According to an expert in coastal dynamics, the fact that dunes have been converted into promenades is a major problem.
Josep has tears in his eyes as he looks down from the promenade onto the beach in Platja d'Aro. "I used to play and swim here as a child, the beach was twice as wide back then," says the 48-year-old teacher and biker. The newspaper "La Vanguardia" recently wrote that the Platja Gran, the "big beach", which is now a good 50 meters wide on average, was three times as wide in the 1980s.
Estimates vary, there are no official figures - but everyone in the seaside resort on the Costa Brava in Catalonia, which is also popular with foreigners, agrees on one thing: the beach has been getting "smaller, smaller and smaller again" for decades, as long-time restaurant owner Aldo puts it.
"Beach death" in the land of dream beaches
This is not only happening in Platja d'Aro. The phenomenon of dying beaches can also be observed elsewhere. Experts believe that one cause is that coasts have been built right up to the beach. Protective dunes often no longer exist. On a shoreline that has remained natural, the beach would simply slowly move inland - which is not possible if it has been built on right up to the sea.
"Beaches that have remained natural can easily adapt to climate change, as they are able to retreat and rise as the sea level rises," says Francesca Ribas from the Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya in Barcelona. However, if the beach cannot move because of all the concrete, it will disappear.
The fact that dunes have been converted into promenades is a major problem, explains the expert in coastal dynamics. The adaptability of the beaches is restricted and the risk of flooding during storms is significantly increased. Dams on rivers near the coast and the construction of sports harbors and other infrastructure near the coast also promote erosion.
The forecasts are gloomy
Beaches are also disappearing in other coastal areas such as California and Florida, Turkey, Brazil and the Gold Coast in Australia. One factor here is climate change. Under conditions characterized by climate change and rising sea levels, "half of the world's sandy beaches could have disappeared by the end of the century", according to a study published in the journal "Nature Climate Change".
The city of Barcelona estimates that 30,000 cubic meters of sand are washed away every year. That is over ten percent of the total stock. Ribas is well informed due to her work, but she also experiences unpleasant surprises as a beachgoer: "I was totally surprised just a few years ago when I noticed a huge regression on some beaches in the Llobregat Delta south of Barcelona, which until then had had no problems with erosion."
There are scientific surveys that illustrate the severity of the problem with figures. Ribas cites international studies according to which around 25 percent of beaches worldwide were affected by chronic erosion between 1984 and 2015. This is based on estimates from satellite images.
The Cartographic and Geological Institute of Catalonia (ICGC) determined that as many as 65 percent of all beaches recorded in this region (319 out of a total of 489) had shrunk between 1956 and 2019.
The beach drama not far from Barcelona
"One of the most remarkable cases is Montgat, whose beach has lost 90 percent of its sand," says the environmental organization Greenpeace. According to official figures, the total area of the beach there has decreased from 25,000 to 6,400 square meters since July 2023 alone. In spring, the situation was so bad after a major storm that the town near Barcelona even considered canceling the summer season. "We almost didn't even have enough space to put a lifeguard chair," said Tania González, the councillor responsible for the environment, to the newspaper El Periódico.
In the meantime, there has been a slight improvement. The beach, which was still around 50 meters wide ten years ago and had practically disappeared completely at the beginning of the year, is now at least a two-meter-wide strip again. This is no consolation for Mayor Andreu Absil: "We've had to close all the beach bars." Yaiza Castro, who moved here in 2023, is not in a cheerful mood either. "I was sold an 'apartment on the beach' back then, it didn't even last a year," she complains in El Periódico. "The beach is gone, but luckily the sea view is still there."
The consequences of beach erosion are manifold - for nature, people and the economy
Coastal erosion has alarming consequences, and not just for Yaiza Castro. Tourism is one of the main sources of income in almost all of Spain, including Catalonia. And it is heavily dependent on the beaches. Ribas also points out the threat to "very valuable ecosystems". And: "Beaches are the best possible protection against storms for the towns behind them, as they absorb the energy of the waves. If there is no beach, storms have a much more destructive effect," she says.
In Catalonia and other affected coastal regions of Spain, there are more and more people who do not want to stand idly by and watch the loss of beaches. Awareness-raising and protest campaigns are intended to inform people. In Valencia, for example, a kilometer-long human chain recently demanded action. In Catalonia, there was an open-air theater performance by the organization SOS Costa Brava in Calella de Palafrugell, not far from Platja d'Aro, at the beginning of August about the ecological consequences of the unchecked building frenzy.
Ribas observes that "a rethink is taking place not only in Spain, but worldwide". There are stricter building regulations in many places in Spain and the coastal law has been tightened. Property owners are afraid of possible expropriation. Despite this, there is no end to the building frenzy and construction is often illegal. In addition to mega accommodations, large museums are also being built near the coast - as in Bilbao, for example. SOS Costa Brava is also fighting in court against a planned expansion of the marina in Platja d'Aro and other projects to build hotel complexes and many housing estates along the popular vacation region.
Pau Bosch, Vice President of this association of over 25 environmental groups, emphasizes in an interview with the German Press Agency that the tireless fight is paying off. There have already been successes. "Thanks to our efforts, the urban development master plan for the coast was approved in Catalonia, for example, in order to protect various natural areas that were to be destroyed." However, there are still plans to build a total of 40,000 new homes and hotel complexes in 22 municipalities on the Costa Brava, "which will have a very negative impact on the coastline and the sea"
The environment ministry of the left-wing government in Madrid, which is primarily responsible for coastal protection, is overseeing dozens of projects with a total investment of around 250 million euros. However, the plans are often blocked or delayed by regional authorities for fear of financial losses. "The clash between tourism development and coastal protection is palpable," analyzes "La Vanguardia".
What solutions are there? So far, attempts have been made to fill in sand with expensive and unsustainable methods, including imports from the Sahara. Such measures, criticized by ecologists as "patchwork", are to be greatly reduced in Spain, partly because there is a major shortage of sand worldwide. The construction of protective structures such as breakwaters often only helped in the short term and sometimes proved to be counterproductive.
Unpopular measures are necessary
Ribas sees only one real way out: "We have to give back to the sea what we have stolen from it." The magic word is renaturation. "We need to restore the original dune systems and, if necessary, dismantle beach promenades and rebuild them further back, even if these measures may be unpopular," she demands.
In Catalonia, two municipalities are setting a good example this year: Vila-seca and Calafell want to move the promenades away from the coast, among other things.
Mallorca also has the problem - and also has municipalities that are doing pioneering work. In the seaside resort of Cala Millor in the east of the island, which is popular with German tourists, there is the "Life Adapt" project to preserve the beach. "The targeted solutions are geared towards nature, which includes setting back the beach promenade.
