Spain's shrinking beaches
Worldwide, rising sea levels are causing beaches to disappear. Spain is no exception, with some areas losing up to ten percent of their sand each year. More and more people are refusing to stand idly by as beaches shrink. Some coastal towns are taking drastic measures.
Josep has tears in his eyes as he looks out from the promenade onto the beach in Platja d'Aro. "As a child, I played and swam here, and the beach was twice as wide," recalls the 48-year-old teacher and biker. The newspaper "La Vanguardia" recently wrote that the Platja Gran, the "big beach," which is now an average of 50 meters wide, was three times as wide in the 1980s.
Estimates vary, and there are no official numbers, but everyone agrees that the beach in this popular tourist destination on the Costa Brava in Catalonia has been getting smaller for decades, as long-time hotelier Aldo puts it. This isn't happening just in Platja d'Aro. The phenomenon of "beach death" is also observed elsewhere. Experts blame the direct construction of coasts up to the beach. Protective dunes are often gone. A naturally preserved shoreline would simply move inland slowly - but that's not possible when it's built up to the sea.
"Naturally preserved beaches can easily adapt to climate change by retreating and rising with the rising sea level," says Francesca Ribas of the Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya in Barcelona. But if the beach can't shift due to all the concrete, it disappears.
Ribas explains that converting dunes into promenades is a big problem. It limits the beach's adaptability and significantly increases the risk of flooding during storms. Dams on rivers near the coast and the construction of sports harbors and other infrastructure also contribute to erosion.
Bleak Prognosis
Beaches are also disappearing in other coastal areas, such as California and Florida, Turkey, Brazil, and Australia's Gold Coast. Climate change is a factor. Under the conditions of climate change and sea-level rise, half of the world's sandy beaches could be gone by the end of the century, according to a study published in the journal "Nature Climate Change."
The city of Barcelona estimates that it loses 30,000 cubic meters of sand each year, over ten percent of its total. Ribas, well-informed through her work, is also surprised as a beachgoer: "I was quite surprised a few years ago when I noticed a significant retreat at some beaches in the Llobregat Delta south of Barcelona, which had previously not had any erosion problems."
There are scientific studies that highlight the severity of the problem with numbers. Ribas cites international studies that estimate that about 25 percent of the world's beaches were affected by chronic erosion between 1984 and 2015, based on satellite image estimates. The Cartographic and Geological Institute of Catalonia (ICGC) found that in this region, 65 percent of all recorded beaches (319 out of a total of 489) had shrunk between 1956 and 2019.
One of the most notable cases is Montgat, which has lost 90 percent of its sand, according to environmental organization Greenpeace. Since July 2023 alone, the total area of the beach has decreased from 25,000 to 6,400 square meters, according to official figures. In the spring, the situation was so dire after a major storm that the town near Barcelona even considered canceling the summer season. "We barely had enough space to place a lifeguard chair," said Tania González, the city councilor responsible for the environment, to the newspaper "El Periódico".
Meanwhile, there has been a slight improvement. The beach, which was about 50 meters wide ten years ago and practically disappeared at the beginning of the year, is currently at least a strip about two meters wide. However, Mayor Andreu Absil finds no comfort in this: "We had to close all the beach bars." Yaiza Castro, who moved here in 2023, is also not celebrating. "I was sold a 'beachfront apartment', and it didn't even last a year," she complains in "El Periódico". "The beach is gone, but the sea view is still there."
Diverse consequences for nature, people, and economy
Coastal erosion has alarming consequences, not just for Yaiza Castro. Tourism is one of the main sources of income in almost the entire Spain and Catalonia, and it is heavily dependent on beaches. Ribas also points out the threat to "very valuable ecosystems". And: "Beaches are the best protection for cities behind them from storms, as they absorb the energy of the waves. Without a 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 passively watch the loss of beaches. Awareness and protest actions are intended to inform. In Valencia, for example, a kilometer-long human chain recently demanded measures. In Catalonia, there was an open-air theater performance by the organization SOS Costa Brava in Calella de Palafrugell near Platja d'Aro in early August about the ecological consequences of unbridled construction.
Ribas observes that not only in Spain, but "worldwide a change of thinking is taking place". In Spain, there are stricter building regulations in many places, the coastal law has been tightened. Property owners are afraid of possible expropriations. Nevertheless, the construction frenzy does not stop, often illegal construction takes place. Besides luxury apartments, large museums are also being built near the coast, like in Bilbao. 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 residential settlements along the popular vacation region.
Tourism vs. Coastal Protection
Pau Bosch, vice-president of this alliance of over 25 environmental organizations, emphasizes in an interview with the German Press Agency that the relentless fight is worth it. There have already been successes. "Thanks to our efforts, the urban master plan for the coast was approved in Catalonia to protect various natural areas that were supposed to be destroyed." However, there are still plans to build a total of 40,000 new apartments and hotel complexes in 22 municipalities of the Costa Brava, "which will have a very negative impact on the coastline and the sea".
The Ministry of Environment of the left-wing government in Madrid, primarily responsible for coastal protection, oversees dozens of projects with total investments of around 250 million euros. However, these plans are often blocked or delayed by regional authorities due to fears of financial losses. "The tension between tourist development and coastal protection is palpable," analyzes "La Vanguardia".
What are the solutions? So far, expensive and unsustainable sand replenishment methods have been attempted, even involving imports from the Sahara. Such actions, criticized by ecologists as "patchwork," are set to be significantly reduced in Spain due to global sand scarcity. The construction of protective structures like breakwaters often only provided short-term help and sometimes proved counterproductive.
Unpopular Measures Are Necessary
Ribas sees only one real solution: "We must give back to the sea what we have stolen from it." The magic word is renaturation. "One must restore the original dune systems and, if necessary, dismantle and rebuild promenades further back, even if these measures may be unpopular," she demands. This year, two municipalities in Catalonia are setting a good example: Vila-seca and Calafell plan to relocate promenades away from the coast.
Mallorca also faces this problem and has municipalities pioneering solutions. In the popular German tourist destination of Cala Millor on the island's east coast, the "Life Adapt" project aims to preserve the beach. "The solutions sought are nature-oriented, including the relocation of the promenade."
The 'Tourism sector' in Spain is significantly affected by the disappearance of beaches due to rising sea levels. According to the city of Barcelona, they lose 30,000 cubic meters of sand each year, representing over 10% of their total beach area.
This issue is not unique to Spain. The 'Tourism sector' in other coastal areas, such as California and Florida, Turkey, Brazil, and Australia's Gold Coast, is also facing the challenge of disappearing beaches due to climate change and sea-level rise.
