Stranding - "The beach is gone" - Spain's coastlines are suffering
Josep has tears in his eyes as he looks from the promenade onto the beach in Platja d'Aro. "As a child, I played and swam here, the beach was twice as wide back then," 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 about 50 meters wide, was three times as wide in the 1980s.
Estimates vary, and there are no official numbers, but one thing is clear in this popular seaside resort on the Costa Brava in Catalonia, also beloved by foreigners: the beach has been getting smaller "little by little, little by little, and even smaller," as long-time hotel operator Aldo puts it.
This isn't happening only 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 - which is not possible if it's built up close to the sea.
"Naturally preserved beaches can easily adapt to climate change, as they are able to retreat and rise 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.
The conversion of dunes into promenades is a big problem, explains the expert on 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, as well as the construction of sports harbors and other infrastructure near the coast, also promote erosion.
Dismal prognosis
Beaches are also disappearing in other coastal regions, such as California and Florida, Turkey, Brazil, and Australia's Gold Coast. One factor is climate change. 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, more than 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 massive retreat at some beaches in the Llobregat Delta south of Barcelona, which had previously had no 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 beaches worldwide were affected by chronic erosion between 1984 and 2015, based on estimates using satellite images.
The Cartographic and Geological Institute of Catalonia (ICGC) found that in this region, even 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 some improvement. The beach, which was about 50 meters wide ten years ago and practically disappeared at the beginning of the year, is now 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', it didn't even last a year," she complains in "El Periódico". "The beach is gone, but fortunately, the sea view is still there."
The consequences of the beach's disappearance are manifold - for nature, humans, and the economy. The coastal erosion has alarming consequences, not just for Yaiza Castro. Almost everywhere in Spain and Catalonia, tourism is one of the main sources of income, and it is heavily dependent on beaches. Ribas also points out the threat to "very valuable ecosystems". And: "Beaches are the best possible protection for cities 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 passively watch the loss of beaches. Awareness-raising and protest actions are taking place. In Valencia, for example, a kilometer-long human chain was recently formed to demand measures. In Catalonia, there was an open-air theater performance by the organization SOS Costa Brava in Calella de Palafrugell near Platja d'Aro about the ecological consequences of unbridled construction.
Ribas observes that not only in Spain, but "worldwide, a change of mindset is taking place". In Spain, there are stricter building regulations in many places, and the coastal law has been tightened. Property owners are afraid of possible expropriations. Nevertheless, the construction frenzy does not stop, and often illegal construction takes place. In addition to 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 numerous residential settlements along the popular holiday region.
Pau Bosch, vice-president of this alliance of over 25 environmental groups, emphasizes in an interview with the German Press Agency that the relentless struggle is worthwhile. There have already been successes. "Thanks to our efforts, for example, 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 the 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 tourism 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, among other things.
Mallorca also faces this problem and has municipalities pioneering solutions. In the popular German tourist destination of Cala Millor on the eastern side of the island, there is the "Life Adapt" project to preserve the beach. "The solutions sought are nature-oriented, involving the dismantling of the beach promenade, among other things.
The issue of beach erosion is not limited to Platja d'Aro, as beaches in other coastal regions, such as Australia's Gold Coast, are also experiencing this phenomenon. According to Francesca Ribas, a coastal dynamics expert from the Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya in Barcelona, this is partly due to the conversion of dunes into promenades, which restricts the adaptability of beaches and increases the risk of flooding during storms.
