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DESTRUCCIÓNA

TODA COSTAJULY 2005

GREENPEACE REPORT ABOUT THE SPANISH COAST SITUATION

Greenpeace report about the Spanish coast

situation.

July 2005

Texts and maps: María José Caballero, PalomaColmenarejo, Sebastián Losada, Raquel Montón,Marta Rodríguez.

Edition: Laura Pérez Picarzo.

Design and Layout: De Dos. Espacio de Ideas.

Photo Cover: hotel in El Algarrobico´s beach(Carboneras). Natural Park Cabo de Gata-Níjar.Author: Pedro Armestre.

An electronic version of this report is availablein our web page: www.greenpeace.es

Printed in 100% recycled paper.

DESTRUCCIÓNA

TODA COSTAJULY 2005

DESTRUCCIÓN A TODA COSTA 3

REPORTS OBJECTIVES 4

INTRODUCTION 6

URBAN DEVELOPMENT 8

TOURISM 10

INSTALATIONS AND WORKS IN THE COAST 12

PORTS 14

POLLUTION 16

AUTONOMOUS REGIONS ANALYSIS

ANDALUSIA 18

ASTURIAS 22

CANTABRIA 25

CATALONIA 28

COMUNIDAD VALENCIANA 32

GALICIA 36

BALEARIC ISLANDS 40

CANARY ISLANDS 43

BASQUE COUNTRY 47

REGION OF MURCIA 50

INDEX

4 DESTRUCCIÓN A TODA COSTA

REPORTS OBJECTIVES

© Greenpeace/Armestre

The main objective of this report is todenounce the bad situation in which theSpanish coasts are. Our denounce materi-alizes in “black spots” placed along the8.000 kilometers of the Spanish coast,that draw a dark map of constant aggres-sions to a strip of land as rich and valuablethat it has a specific law that protects it,The Shores Act 28/1988. The fulfilment ofthis law should be the best guaranty toensure the conservation of the coast.

Our second objective is to determine thecauses that have brought the coast to thissituation. The lack of planning and man-agement of several activities done in thecoast has resulted in non-fulfilment theShores Act and the rest of the environ-mental regulations referring to contami-nation and protection of the naturalspaces, and the species that live on it.

Our third and last objective, once the prob-lems have been identified, is to try to findsolutions. Stop the building on the coast’sfirst strip of land, stop dumping to the sea,don’t allow damaging works for thecoastal ecosystems and protecting thenatural spaces.

All the stakeholders, the administration,the local population, the ecologist andenvironmentalist organizations and thecompanies have to start working immedi-ately in a coordinated way in order to startrunning solutions trough an integratedcoast management, aiming to protect thenatural ecosystems running, increasingat the same time the social and economicwelfare of the coastal regions.



INTRODUCTION

© Greenpeace/Caballero

THE SEA AND ITS COASTAL ECOSYSTEMS PROVIDE A GREAT VARIETYOF SERVICES AND WEALTH TO THE SOCIETY AT A GLOBAL LEVEL THEYHAVE AN IMPORTANT ROLE IN THE CLIMATE REGULATION AND AT AREGIONAL LEVEL THEY CONTRIBUTE TO THE DIET, THEY PROTECTFROM THE COASTAL EROSION AND THEY BRING CONSIDERABLEBENEFITS THANKS TO ACTIVITIES LIKE THE TOURISM, WHICH MEANSJOBS AND ECONOMIC WEALTH.

THE DEGRADATION OF THE COASTAL AND MARINE SPANISHENVIRONMENT IS DUE TO HUMAN ACTIVITIES. THE CONTAMINATIONPROBLEMS, THE OVERCROWDING URBAN DEVELOPMENT, THEFISHING OVEREXPLOITATION AND THE RIVERS ESTUARIES ALTERATIONACT, IN A SYNERGIC WAY, AMPLIFYING ITS ECOLOGICAL IMPACTS ANDSITUATING THE COAST IN A PRECARIOUS SITUATION.

SOCIETY AND ADMINISTRATION HAVE MOVED FORWARD IN THEKNOWLEDGE OF THE PROBLEMS THAT AFFECTS TO THE COAST, BUTVERY FEW SEEM READY TO APPLY THE SOLUTIONS IN THE STRIP OFTERRITORY THAT CORRESPONDS, THEY ARE MORE WORRIEDABOUT THE SHORT TERM THAN ABOUT THE FUTURE THAT THE NEXTGENERATIONS EXPECT.


URBAN DEVELOPMENT




The urban development of the coastinvolves a chain of problems: contamina-tion, destruction of wetlands , the beach-es are becoming narrower... The Spanishecosystem of the coast is being weak-ened. This phenomenon, unstoppablesince four decades is extending now tothe last intact spots of the coast: Murcia,

Almería, Cádiz and Huelva.

A lot of Laws, Plans and guidelines aredrawn up to try to stop the urban develop-ment saturation of the coast. But those,although they are appropriately publi-cized, very often are not followed by regu-lations to allow their application, so thoseguidelines aren’t worth the paper they’rewritten on, they are worthless.

The local administrations and the compa-nies resort to the “shortage of” the infra-structures to claim new roads, more mari-nas or golf courses. It is a situation thatarises from the autonomous self-gov-erned organs lack of control of the urbandevelopment in coastal municipalities.

One of the subjects that we have to dealwith without delay is the financing meth-ods of the coast councils. The currentmodel is based on obtaining a large per-cent of the incomes through taxes andfees related to the construction and hous-ing (IBI –Spanish tax over immovableassets–, added values, planning permis-sions and land selling). This model more-over isn’t either transparent nor efficient.

Greenpeace considers that a new localfinancing system should be enforced,allowing the town councils not to dependon building to obtain incomes, as it hap-pens at the moment. That way we wouldachieve having the local administrationsnot considering anymore the coastalfringe as a source of quick incomes, with-out worrying about the development pos-sibilities that they leave to future genera-tions. The mechanisms to change the cur-rent system are very diverse and somehave already been pointed by govern-ments as some of the ones from the Gen-eralitat, the autonomous government ofCatalonia, that has talked about establish-ing an “ecotax” to bring financing to themunicipalities, allowing to regenerate thestagnant model of sun and beach andbeneficing the environmental conserva-tion and protection.

The Ministry of Environment announcedlast summer a plan to protect the Spanishcoasts from housing development andbuilding proceedings in the coastal publicproperty, that is, in the first 100 meters ofthe seashore. This is a good measure,although insufficient since the saturationof the Spanish coast strip. Actually, it isn’tsomething new, the 1988 Shores Actalready obliges to comply that, but the real-ity shows that there are hundreds of illegalconstructions situated in that narrow stripof land. The municipalities are the onesthat have the urban development legalauthority, and it’s up to them to change the

model with the rest of the regional and cen-tral administrations´ help.

Another measure announced by the Span-ish Minister of Environment , Cristina Nar-bona, at the beginning of this year wasthe intention to introduce a compulsoryreport issued by the Hydrographic Con-federations guaranteeing the water sup-ply before starting urban developmentplan. That measure highlights the problemof the urban development saturation suf-fered by the Spanish coast. 34% of thefirst kilometer of Mediterranean coast isbuilt-up. Melilla, Málaga and Barcelona

raises that number to a little above 50%.

One of the phenomena associated to thecoast development boom is the never-ending increase in prices of the famous“beach apartments”. The prohibitiveprices of more “traditional” areas as the

Balearic Islands or the Costa del Sol, inthe Málaga region have transferred thedemand to areas as Murcia and Almería,

where the prices are still “competitive”,even at the expense of destroying the lastvirgin coast stretches.

“We only have a planet and its our duty to take care of it, for us, for our children and the future

generations. The European Union environmental legislation can help us to preserve our planet,

but for that they have to be fully applied. Spain has a great biodiversity, we should do our best to

protect those resources and we have to make a bigger effort to improve its level of application

in the environmental legislation.”

Margot Wallström, Ex- European Commission. Commissioner of Environment. 20 July 2004


TOURISM

© Greenpeace/Rull


(1) Considered from the month of June until the month of September both included.

The tourist sector of “sun and beach ” is still incrisis. This tourism model, traditionally asso-ciated to Spain, includes 75% of the Spanishcoasts hotel and catering business offer. Thedata shows that this model is not exhaustedyet but already stuck and obsolete.

Years ago, the tourism market was experi-encing a demand situation, hotels andapartments were filled up with people bythemselves and the competition wasbetween very similar prices. It was a situa-tion in which the unlimited growth predomi-nated over everything, no matter theresources consumption and the environ-ment degradation. Now we have an oversupplying market, in which it is much moredifficult to obtain good occupation and prof-itability. Now the companies of the sectorthemselves claim that the present model ofsun and beach should evolve towardsanother one in which a sustainable environ-ment should take precedence over the rest.

Another outstanding information is that thetourist sector data numbers keep pre-served thanks to the seasonal nature phe-nomenon alteration, which implies anincreasing tourists tendency of comingout of the summer period. The data analy-sis shows that between 2002 and 2004five million tourists less visited Spain in thesummer period1. Moreover, the averageoccupation in the summer months accu-mulates five consecutive years ofdecrease in despite of the “prices slowingdown“, that almost even bordered on defla-

tion in the Balearic and Canary archipela-

gos and the Comunidad of Valencia.

Between 1990 and 2000, the Spanish pop-ulation increased 5%, but the urban devel-opment increased 25,4%, a number thatshoots up as we approach to the coast.Tourism experts state that not even anoth-er more house should be allowed to be builtin the coast if it doesn’t provide value to thesoil. Some coast areas start going towardsthat direction, but in general, municipali-ties are still eager for cement that turnsinto money in the municipal coffers.

From very different sectors the alarm hasbeen raised about the over offer of touristplaces supply in the Spanish coast. Vari-ous experts in the tourist scene recognizethat the small and medium tourist compa-nies are facing very difficult momentsbecause of the excessive rise of the com-petitors. The full entry of property develop-ers in the tourism industry has generateda price war that has caused a fall of prof-itability in the last three years of between15% and 30% for 70% of the hotels andtourist accommodations in Spain.

The report about tourism presented by theSpanish Alliance for the Tourism Excellence(Exceltur) warns about that problem point-ing at concrete spots as the Costa del Soland the Costa Tropical in Andalusia, someareas of Mallorca, Gran Canaria, Tenerife

and Fuerteventura, the Costa Brava, the

Costa Dorada and the Costa Calida.

That tendency has to be reversed. We can’tgo on building sacrificing our best resource:the coast. There are other ways to obtain atourism of quality for the coastal towns thathave no relation with those urban develop-ment “bombshell” that happen in the coast.Cities as Barcelona or Bilbao, that have betfor a recovery and restoration get the bestqualifications of the tourists.

GOLF AND TOURISM

In Spain the minimal yearly consumptionof the totality of the golf courses is 30cubic hectometers of water. The projectsplanned increase an average amount of 21facilities a year (today there are 293) andthe estimation point that in ten years therewill be 500 golf courses in Spain, despite ofthe fact that today we are already talkingabout saturation and rivalry among thecourses to attract customers.

Experts indicate that the tourist that playsgolf spends 6 times more money than theone that doesn’t practice that sport. The keydata in this equation is that the golf playerthat is accommodated in hotels leaves a bigamount of money where he spends thesummer. However, the model that is spread-ing in almost all the Spanish coast associ-ates building golf courses to houses and notto hotels and, according to the experts, itdoesn’t generate a sustainable economicmodel, as the water and land consumption,limited resources of the Spanish coasts, isfar higher above the profit generated for thattourist sector.

“The hotel and catering trade sector is going through a critical state, being accused of a predatory

property development policy, the increasing competition of the emerging destinations and the fall of

the foreign markets overnight and average number of stays. All this, added to the growth of a kind of

offer that the current legislation does not provide for (11,5 million tourists take accommodation of

this kind ), has consequently a drop of the profitability”

José Guillermo Díaz Montañés. President of the Spanish Confederation of Hotels and Tourist accommodation (CEHAT)Inauguration Speech of the Confederation Congress of April 2005


INSTALATIONS AND WO

© Greenpeace/Díaz

The Ministry of Environment is undertak-ing some in order to recuperate the Span-ish coast, based on the respect of theenvironmental and landscape character-istics of each zone. Nevertheless, not thesame conscientiousness to finish withillegal or harmful works for the Coastalpublic property is appreciated in all theautonomous provinces. So, for example,whereas in the Balearic Islands theycarry out demarcations2 that stop theworks (Ses Fontanelles, Mallorca), inAndalusia roads in the Coastal publicproperty are authorized (Chiclana and

San Fernando) and in Galicia they bet onfilling up the coast with cement, seafrontpromenades-shaped.

The announcement last year by the Minis-ter of Environment of not accreting artifi-cially beaches that loose sand because ofartificial causes (dykes, marinas...) wastaken as a declaration of war. The munici-palities, pressurized from the business-men, demand having their beaches in“good conditions” for the tourist season.Those demands forget that too muchbuilding or the location of the seafrontsare responsible for the loss of environ-mental quality of the sandy areas and thatartificial sand replacement aren’t a solu-tion but an expensive temporary patch.

Those pressures to continue with theaccretion of the beaches has brought theMinistry of Environment to maintain practi-cally almost the same policy as always.

The beaches accretion are still undertakenin its majority from the economical per-spective forgetting the environmentalrecovery component of the natural coastalecosystems, the only future guarantee forthe Spanish sandy areas.

The Ministry of Environment is still under-taking sand extraction to the artificialaccretion of beaches, even when there areofficial reports that denounce the damagesto marine flora and fauna species, as in theAlmadrava beach, in Denia (Comunidad

Valenciana), a Site of Comnunity Impor-tance for the Natura 2000 Network wherethe Directorade for Coasts Authorities did-n’t elaborate a survey on the environmen-tal impact and have obviated the damageson the Posidonia oceanica meadows.

For the first year of government celebration,the Ministry of Environment announcedthat a Plan for the sustainable coasts man-agement had started. That coasts plan,demanded by Greenpeace for years, cannot be delayed, as it is an essential toolthat will draw the guidelines proceedingsin the 8.000 kilometers of Spanish coastand will avoid to a large extent the arbi-trariness to which it is now exposed.


(2) Delimitation of the Coastal public property according to The Shores Act of July 28, 1988.

RKS IN THE COAST


PORTS

© Greenpeace/Ceccaroni

The Ministry of Development is responsiblefor the coastal ecosystems degradation.

The Ports Law envisages that any portenlargement has to be defrayed by theport authority funds. That has broughtthat the Spanish coast that is still free ofbuilding is becoming a dock reserve,that’s how port administrations are trad-ing given its lack of liquidity. The newports as the Exterior Port of A Coruña notonly have none environmental viability,but neither economic, but they are builtthanks to the European generosity andthe huge building businesses devised bycity councils and port authorities. Portsfinance their enlargements gatheringlarge stretches of public coastline wherethey do and undo their own way withoutrespecting the environmental regulationsand then they sell to the highest bidderwithout the environment organization act-ing anyhow to stop one of the biggestdrama of the Spanish coast.

The Ministry of Development, responsi-ble for the ports of the State, didn’t stillpresent a management plan for all theports. That fragmentary policy bringseach Port Authority to undertake a raceon their own in order to get financial via-bility for their installations, fightingagainst the rest and without paying anyattention to the social, economic andenvironmental consequences of theirproceedings. The result can be easilyseen: scandalous property operations in

Las Palmas de Gran Canaria (Canary

Islands), fish and shellfish shoal destruc-tion in Galicia and Barcelona (Catalonia),

enormous dredging of submarine areas forports stuffing as in Bilbao (Basque Coun-

try) or Gijón (Asturias), port installationsenlargement plans that destroy kilome-ters of virgin coast as in Pasajes (Basque

Country), building new ports without anyjustification as the ones of A Coruña

(Punta Langosteira Exterior Port) or thesouth port of Tenerife (Industrial Port ofGranadilla). This lack of managementfrom the Development Department, fos-tered by the Ports Law reform, is more-over approved by the laxity shown by theMinistry of Environment and autonomousregion administrations to protect and pre-serve the environmental and economicnational resources of the Spanish coast.



POLLUTION


Dumping to the sea despite of being forbid-den by the Shores Act3 is still happening.Recklessness growth of many develop-ments in the coast without the necessarysewage water treatment installations isusual in the coast towns, that doesn’t usual-ly consider as part of water treatment plansthe massive influx of tourists during thesummer period. Far from solving the prob-lem, the persons responsible for the sani-tary plans of the city council, use that lackof foresight, that should be punished andcorrected, as an excuse to justify the dump-ing, and they usually contribute with resig-nation as only answer when faced with theneighbours and tourists complaints.

New sewage treatment plants are built andthe existing ones are enlarged and repaired,but at a rhythm much slower than thewhat's necessary, not even to comply withthe European regulation in water treat-ment, but to correct the coastal pollutionserious problems.

The period given by the European Commis-sion to the municipalities with a popula-tion over 2.000 inhabitants to be equippedwith secondary sewage treatment plantsends this current year. The real situation,six months before the limit date, can bedescribed as catastrophic. Big coastalmunicipalities as Algeciras (Andalusia)

lack those systems and the situationworsens as the size of the town goesdown. In July 2004 the European Commis-sion announced that almost 200 Spanish

municipalities didn’t respect the periodimposed by the Guidelines about urbansewage in order to establish an adequatetreatment for the sewage of towns with apopulation over 15.000 inhabitants, whichhas brought about the European Commis-sion decision to initiate sanction processagainst Spain

In view of that situation, the Ministry ofEnvironment should devote its efforts andbudgets to improve the sewage treatmentthat threatens beaches and coasts in sev-eral spots of the coast or to repair the hun-dreds of underwater outlets that periodi-cally fills the coveted Spanish sandy areaswith sewage.

The annual report about the quality of thebathing waters issued each year by the EUemphasizes that in the year 2004, 17 beach-es with pollution problems that didn’t satisfythe European requirement were found . Infour of them bathing is not permitted.

The situation of the Spanish coasts isserious and, at least because of the hugebenefits they bring, they deserve theeffort of preserving and protecting themfrom being destroyed. Greenpeace offersits support and full collaboration to allthe ones that commit for the recovery ofthe public nature of the beaches, thedefense of the natural spaces, –dunes,marshes, cliffs, estuaries...– and thenatural and economical regeneration ofour damaged coast .


(3) Article 25.1 of the Shores Act of July 28, 1988.

THE VAST ANDALUSIAN COAST LIVES PRISONER OF THE DEVELOPMENTACTIVITY, AN ECONOMIC SECTOR THAT IS STARTING TO STRANGLE THE TOURIST SECTOR ANDTHAT HAS DEPLETED A BIG PART OF ITS NATURAL CHARACTERISTICS FROM ITS BEST LURE: ITSNATURE AND BEACHES.

ANDALUSIA



The regional Government of Andalusia, theJunta de Andalucía, is largely responsiblefor the lack of urban development controlthat occurs in its coast. A delay of 20 yearsin the drafting of plans that would deter-mine the coastal building development hasallowed municipalities to develop its coastwithout any territorial coordination, withthe result that we all know. The modifica-tions announced by the Junta de Andaluciahave to start without delay. Likewise, thevarious sub-regional program of coastplanning have to come out urgently. Untilthen, The Junta de Andalucía should showthat its intentions are not only a mere dec-laration and should impose an urban devel-opment moratorium. Equally all the demoli-tion sentences on the illegal housing devel-opment and buildings have to be obeyed.

According to data from the Spanish Nation-al Institute of geography 59% of the Andalu-sian coast has already been built and theexistence of four thousand proceedingsabout development infractions opened inthe urban development offices of thecoast, indicates that the majority of thecoastal towns and cities are not betting ona development compatible with nature.

Building in the coast strip goes on at anunstoppable rhythm. Practically exhausted,the ground of the coast of Málaga4 (in Fuen-

girola or Torremolinos 100% of its groundhas been developed), the urban develop-ments transfer to the coasts of Granada,Almería, Cádiz, and Huelva. The natural parkof Cabo de Gata-Níjar (Almería), that is in theMinistry of Environment list of candidatesto become a National Park, is currently oneof the natural spaces more beset by urbandevelopment projects.

The general recognition that cities as Mar-bella (Málaga), El Puerto de Santa María(Cádiz), Barbate (Cádiz) or Almuñécar(Granada) are seized with urban develop-ment speculation is a poor help for thetourism industry that sells worse andworse the saturation and the lack of con-sideration towards the natural spaces.

The two main engine of the Andalusianeconomy, building and tourism, are close-ly related. They consume the mainresource, the ground, and they go togetherwith an excessive consumption of energyand water. The consumption of those threebasic resources along with the negative

impacts that they have in the coast spacesare greater that the benefits that theyreport to the Andalusian society, and sothey are unsustainable.

Despite the bad tourist statistics, new hotelsare being built in the coast. Only in the Costadel Sol (Málaga), and despite last year it hadits lowest tourist occupation level since theyear 2000 (69,39%) there are 29 projects upand running which will add 2.681 hotelrooms to the over 90.000 already existing inthat stretch of the Málaga coast.

Anyway, building and tourism are thegreater source of secure incomes for thecity councils, specially the coastal ones. Itis so necessary to redistribute the publicresources that will ensure the city coun-cils the necessary mechanisms to stopdepending on the money that cementingthe coast provides and that will stimulatethe environment preservation and thesustainable development.

The over hotel supply and the excessivesecond house residency in the coast doesnot play in the Andalusian tourism industryfavor. Experts in that subject have alerted



(4) According to informations given by the National Geographic Institute, Málaga has 51% of its coast developed.

about the fact that the sector has beentaken by storm by promoters and construc-tion companies that threaten to ruin the ini-tiatives of respect towards the coast start-ed by the administrations.

The golf courses and the marinas have tobe considered as well from a territorialpoint of view. Their requirements have tobe defined founded on an economic andenvironmental rigorous criteria base. Untilthose guidelines aren’t drawn up, noteven one more project can be approved.

Pressures for continuing with artificial

accretion of the Andalusian beaches stillcarry on. The municipalities forced bybusinessmen, demand having its beach-es in “good conditions” for the touristseason, forgetting that the heavy devel-opment excesses, the marinas or thewrong location of promenades areresponsible for the loss of environmentalquality of its sandy areas. Only in thebeaches of Málaga, 150.000 cubic metersof sand will be added.

The sewage cleaning up plan, with stipu-lated periods clearly defined by an Euro-pean regulation, is still the last of theadministration worries, as it doesn’t act ina determined way in order to eradicatethis serious pollution and deterioration ofits best tourist resource: the beaches.

Despite the good statistics obtained by theAndalusian beaches regarding the bathingwaters' quality, dumping to the sea contin-ues although they are forbidden by theShores Act, fostered by the recklessnessgrowth of many urban developments inthe coast, without the necessary installa-tions for treating the sewage. Sixty kilome-ters of the coast of Málaga lacks of com-prehensive cleaning up.I Five municipali-ties of the coast of Cádiz dump 20 millioncubic meters a year to the sea without anykind of treatment: Chipiona, Vejer, Barbate,

Tarifa and Algeciras. Four other towns havesewage treatment systems that doesn’twork properly: El Puerto de Santa María,

Puerto Real, San Roque and Los Barrios.II

Another Andalusian coastal source of pol-lution is the industrial area of Huelva, oneof most environment damaged spots ofthe Andalusian coast.



THE ILLEGAL MARBELLA´S TOWN PLANNING

There isn’t any urban development situation similar to the one that occurs inMarbella, where there are 20.000 houses in an illegal situation. The regionalgovernment, La Junta de Andalucía, Board of Andalusia has appealed against 370building permissions, 110 of them correspond to the last city council period. LaJunta denounces that licenses are given by administrative silence. The sentencesthat pronounce illegal developing permissions are systematically appealed againstby the city council. Judicial sentences aren’t upheld either.

BEACHES WITH A BAD BATHING

WATERS’ QUALITY

(Information drawn from the EuropeanCommission’s report on the bathingwaters quality)III

· Beach of El Pozuelo. Almuñécar.Granada.

· Beach of El Cable. Motril. Granada.· Beach of Campo de Golf. Málaga.· Beach of Venus-Majadilla. Marbella.

Málaga.

BEACHES WITH BATHING WATERS

WHICH QUALITY LEVEL DECREASED

ON 2004

· Beach of Palmones. Los Barrios.Cádiz.

· Beach of Río San Pedro. Puerto Real.Cádiz.

· Beach of Guadarranque. San Roque.Cádiz.

· Beach of El Pozuelo. Almuñécar.Granada.

· Beach of La Charca. Salobreña.Granada.

· Beach of Torreblanca (Carvajal).Fuengirola. Málaga.

· Beach of Campo de Golf. Málaga.· Beach of Venus-Majadilla. Marbella.

Málaga.· Beach of Palazo. Nerja. Málaga.

1 2 3

56

7

9

10

1214

15 16

17

18 20 2122

23

2425

264

11

13

198


Huelva1. Canela beach. Isla Canela. Ayamonte:sewage dumping.2. Huelva. Industrial area: seriouspollution problems.3. Palos de la Frontera. Mazagón.Dumping to the beach.4. Moguer. Pine forest destruction next tothe National Park of Doñana to buildhotels, houses and a golf course.

Cádiz5. Sanlúcar de Barrameda. 6.000 illegalhouses uncovered.6. Chipiona: the town is lacking ofsewage treatment. Camarón, Cruz delMar and Regla beaches endures directlythe dumping.7. El Puerto de Santa María. 3.000 illegalhouses uncovered. Disproportionateurban development plans.8. San Fernando. Building up a circularroute, Ronda del Estero, encroachingupon public lands and waters.9. Chiclana. 8.000 illegal housesuncovered. circular route encroachingupon public lands and waters.

10. Vejer: lack of sewage treatment plant:sewage dumping.11. Barbate: lack of sewage treatmentplant: sewage dumping.12. Tarifa. Its urban development planinvolves the occupation of 100% of landnon protected by the law. The town islacking of sewage treatment plant:sewage dumping.13. Strait of Gibraltar Natural Park.Archaeological Interpreting Centre ofBaelo Claudia. Landscape affront.14. Algeciras: lacking of sewagetreatment plant: sewage dumping.

Málaga15. Marbella. 20.000 new illegal housesbuilt. Chapas, Pinillo, Las Cañas, Bajadilla,Venus and Fontanilla beaches: pollutedfrom sewage. Venus-Majadilla´s beach:Bad quality of its bathing waters.16. Mijas: 23.000 new houses built. Newmarina.17. Benalmádena. Malapesquera, SantaAna and Castillo de Bil-bil beaches:polluted from sewage.

18. Huelín beach (Málaga).13 kiosks builtat 50 meters from the shore.19. Málaga. Campo de Golf beach: badquality of its bathing waters.20. Torrox. New marina.

Granada21. Almuñécar. 29.000 new houses built.El Pozuelo´s beach: bad quality of itsbathing waters.22. Motril. El Cable´s beach: bad qualityof its bathing waters.

Almería23. Aguamarga. Níjar (Natural Park ofCabo de Gata): development of 48hectares.24. Carboneras (Natural Park of Cabo deGata). Algarrobico´s beach: 8 hotels,1.500 apartments and a golf course.25. Mojácar. Macenas: urbandevelopment in a virgin area. Golf course.26. Vera: 30.000 new houses built.Quitapellejos´ beach. Project to install atuna faeading farm.

THREATENED COASTAL SPACES

ASTURIAS


© Greenpeace/Díaz

THE SO CALLED GREEN COAST AND SOLD AS “NATURAL PARADISE”SUFFERS THE “NATIONAL PHENOMENON” OF COAST HARASSMENTTHAT OTHER REGIONS HAVE ALREADY LIVED, SPECIALLY THE MEDITERRANEAN REGION. THEGOOD PRESERVATION STATE AND THE LOW PRICES OF THE COAST LAND, ACT AS A LURE FORCONSTRUCTION AND DEVELOPMENT COMPANIES THAT FAR AWAY FROM BEEN INTERESTEDIN PRESERVING ITS NATURAL CHARACTERISTICS DREAM ABOUT KEEPING ON GETTINGRICHER AT THE COAST DESTRUCTION EXPENSES.

The construction companies have trans-ferred their interests to the Cantabriancoast, which puts in danger that stretch ofland, especially spots like Llanes or Ribade-sella. The current regional government, thePrincipado de Asturias, is still in time toestablish the tourist and development crite-ria that will allow to keep the coast in a goodstate of conservation, ensuring that way asource of social, economic and environ-mental wealth for the future generations.

Urban development and tourism are thegreater sources of secure incomes for thecoastal towns and cities councils. A redis-tribution of the public resources allowingthe councils to fight in a determined wayfor an environmental and sustainabledevelopment is necessary.

The Asturian Coast Urban Planning (POLA)has the risk of remaining as a document ofminimal use, exceeded by the Administra-tion’s permissiveness, as it is possible toobserve a parallelism between the buildingworks started and the increasing numberof new developments in the coast munici-palities. Proceedings putted forward in thePOLA, as setting up park-beaches, con-

tribute to affect the coast characteristicsmore than arranging the coast.

Tourism doesn’t seem to have recoveredfrom the black oil slick caused by the oiltanker Prestige in front of the Galiciancoast in November 2002. Three years laterthe foreigner tourists (most of them Eng-lish and German) are still reluctant to visitthe coast of Asturias. Serious surveys,either at the regional level as about the oilslick affected coast, considered as a whole,showing the real situation are still greatlymissed and should be a priority for the Min-istry of Environment. The Ministry of Devel-opment, from its side, should invest inhuman and material resources with regardto marine security. Without doubt, bothmeasures would be the best advertisingcampaign possible for those coasts.

Sand extraction from an underwater depositof sand in Cabo Vidío taken to artificial accre-tion of the Salinas and San Juan’s beacheswill have consequences still to determine onone of the richest fishing grounds of thecoast of Asturias. The lack of the Ministry ofEnvironment’s foresight on the effects thatthis will bring is unacceptable and so is the

mediocre defense of the fishing resourcesdone by the Fishing department of theautonomous Government.

The extraction of 22 million cubic metersof sand for the enlargement of the port ofEl Musel in Gijón will also bring a seriousdisturbance of the marine natural habitat.

The pollution incidents have to disappearfrom the coast of Asturias. This coast is stillsuffering the lack of sewage treatment.


© Greenpeace/Díaz



ON 2004

(Information drawn from the EuropeanCommission’s report on the bathingwaters quality)

· Beach of San Juan de Nieva.Castrillón.

· Beach of Salinas. Castrillón.· Beach of Santamaría del Mar.

Castrillón.· Beach of la Isla. Colunga.· Beach of La Griega. Colunga.· Beach of Poo. Llanes.

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5 6 78

9

1. Cabo Vidío. Extraction of half a millioncubic meters of dry goods for theartificial accretion of the Salinas and SanJuan beaches damaging the fishingshoals.2. Cudillero. Project for building a golfcourse with hotels and urbandevelopment at less than 500 metersaway from a cliff.3. Gozón. Beaches of Bañugues and SanPedro de Antrómero: works that affectarchaeological sites.4. Gijón. Port of El Musel. Extraction of 22million cubic meters of dry goods for itsenlargement.

5. Ribadesella: construction of 9.000new houses.6. Beach of La Huelga (Llanes):developing a park-beach aggressive withthe natural environment areacharacteristics.7. Toronda beach (Niembro): developing apark-beach aggressive with the naturalenvironment area characteristics.8. Llanes. Urban development withouttaking in account the requirements forsewage treatment.9. Natural gas prospecting in front of theAsturian coast.



MOREOVER, CANTABRIA HAS NEVER SHOWN ANY SPECIAL CAREABOUT PROTECTING ITS COAST. THE PRICE OF ITS LAND, LOWER THAN THEMEDITERRANEAN COAST, TRANSFERS CONSTRUCTIONS COMPANIES TO THIS AREA. THECOAST OF CANTABRIA, AS THE COAST OF ASTURIAS, SUFFERS A WIDESPREAD PHENOMENON:“WANTED COAST FOR DEVELOPING”.

CANTABRIA

© Greenpeace/Carrasco


Cantabria, unlike its neighbors fromAsturias and Basque Country, does notappreciate the wealth that its coast brings,which has led to irrational policies thathave allowed outrageous developments onits coast, fostered with the slack attitude ofthe Ministry of Environmental that hasdemarcated only 10% of the Coastal publicproperty of its coast.

The approval of the Urban planning for theCoast (POL) of Cantabria in October 20045,which finality is to protect the coast wealth,means although, opening the door to allkinds of proceedings that have no relationwith protecting and preserving the coast.The municipalities from the coast carry onwith excessive development plans, as thecase of San Vicente de la Barquera.

In almost all the coast of Cantabria, fromCastro Urdiales until San Vicente de la Bar-

quera, there are houses being built for theresidential tourism. The opening of newhighways has boosted new constructions.

One of the biggest problems that the coastof Cantabria has to face is the developmentof new marinas. Cantabria aspires tobecome a reference for the yacht and nau-tical tourism, just as the rest of the coastregions, without showing any worry about

the damages that it might cause to itscoastal ecosystem. The Ministry of Envi-ronment has already informed about theeconomic and environmental risks of theCantabrian Marina Plan, which main proj-ects are located in Laredo, Castro Urdiales,

Santoña, Colindres, Pedreña, Suances,

San Vicente de la Barquera and Comillas.

(5) Law 2/2004, from the 27 of September, of the Coastal Urban Development Plan. BOE mum. 259. 27/10/04.




ON 2004


· Beach of la Magdalena. Santander.

© Greenpeace/Caballero

© Greenpeace/Saldaña

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1. San Vicente de la Barquera: urbandevelopment speculation. Exteriormarina project.2. Cóbreces. Luaña beach: polluted fromsewage.3. Suances: new Marina with 1.135moorings. Concha and Cuchía beaches:polluted from sewage.4. Miengo: urban development thatbreaks the Shores Act. Usgo beach:polluted from sewage.5. Santa Cruz de Bezana. Amía beach:polluted from sewage.

6. Somo. Illegal pier.7. Piélagos. Portío y Cerrías beaches:polluted from sewage.8. Ribamontán. Loredo beach: pollutedfrom sewage.9. Santoña. Marina that invades theprotected area of the marshes.10. Laredo: Marina with 1.100 moorings.11. Castro Urdiales: new Marina.Brazomar beach: polluted from sewage.



A REPORT THAT THE LOCAL GOVERNMENT, GENERALITAT DE CATALUNYA,IS IN POSSESSION OF , REVEALS THAT THE CATALONIAN COAST BRINGSYEARLY 8.000 MILLIONS EUROS FROM TOURISM TO WHICH IT IS NECESSARY TO ADDSOME OTHER 120 MILLION AS A RESULT FROM THE FISHING CATCHES. THE COAST, MOREOVER,PROVIDES EMPLOYMENT FOR 300.000 PERSONS AND BRINGS 13% OF THE GROSS NATIONALPRODUCT OF CATALONIA. THE REPORT WARNS: “THE ECOSYSTEMS FROM THE COAST AND THESEA HAVE SUFFERED A GREAT MODIFICATION BECAUSE OF THE HUMAN ACTIVITIES IN THAT STRIPOF LAND, WHICH WILL LEAD TO CONSEQUENCES AT SHORT AND LONG TERM FOR SOCIETY.”IV

© Greenpeace/Saldaña


CATALONIA


The coast of Catalonia is been highlymodified by the humans, which bringssevere problems of erosion on its coastsand beaches. The regional governmentfrom Catalonia seems tobe disposed tostop this destructive tendency and it hasannounced its decision to adopt somemeasures in order to solve problems, butthose are limited.

At the end of May the Urban DevelopmentManagement Plan for the Coastal Systemhas been passed. The regulation establish-es a protection regime for non-developableland located at 500 meters from the seashore and it affects 23.500 hectares of thecoast corresponding to 50 areas of thecoast6 from a total of 211 plots of land con-sidered initially. This proceeding is withoutany doubt positive, but very limited, as itfocuses on coast spots that don’t have anapproved urban planning.

Greenpeace considers that a plan for thewhole coast of Catalonia should be under-taken in order to recover or maintain thequality of its environment and its land-scape, over the development plans of themunicipalities that continue their tenden-

cy of allowing development in each meterof its coast.

The tourism oversupply starts affectingthe sector. The official statistics show thatthe current situation is unsustainable: thenumber of hotels occupation is poordespite the fall of the prices and it is nec-essary to resort to options like the “allincluded” one, which produces much lessbenefits than the quality tourism.

The Delta of the river Ebro (Tarragona) is oneof the few Mediterranean areas free from theurban saturation imposed by the tourismmodel of sun and beach. Although, that natu-ral space, included in the Ministry of Envi-ronment list of candidates to become aNational Park, had to withstand in the pastperiods the harassment of developmentcompanies that, supported by the city coun-cils of that area, are settling in the area. Thecurrent plans talk about 5.000 new housesintended for second residence, which willduplicate or triplicate the current populationin many of the towns of the Delta.

The regional administrations of Cataloniahave to take care of that situation without

delay, not permitting the coast to be filledwith cement, and being destroyed withoutbringing any benefits to society. Expertsclaim that we must keep a curb on thesecoastal urban development expansionpolicies that have saturated the coast,destroying the environmental wealth andreducing the charm of those towns.Regarding this subject, the regional gov-ernment should continue with the morato-rium declared on the development of newsports installations, that finishes this year.

One of the solutions pointed is the modifi-cation of the municipalities financing, asthey currently obtain the major part oftheir incomes thanks to building licenses.An ecotax was pointed by the local gov-ernment to restructure the tourist sectorof Catalonia and to allow the city councilsto take care of its coast without abandon-ing the possibility of obtaining economicbenefits despite doing that, it would bringsupport for a high quality tourismrespectful with the natural resources inwhich it settles.

(6) The complete list is published on the Diari Oficial de la Generalitat de Catalunya num. 4254. 05/11/04.

© Greenpeace/Casasola

Erosion in the coast of Catalonia is veryworrying. Dozens of beaches loose sandand enlargement each year. This year,only in the coast of Tarragona, the Min-istry of Environmental will artificiallyregenerate 17 beaches and in the city ofBarcelona two million cubic meters will bedestined to the beaches of the city, in themeantime another dozen of beaches arewaiting for the coveted sand to attracttourists, without worrying about giving asolution to the real problems that pre-vents the sediments from arriving to thecoast. In Gerona, the erosion problemshas been transfered to its cliffs, several ofwhich suffer from collapse problems.

New golf courses or marinas constructionhave to be stopped. Consuming resourcessuch valuable and limited as land andwater, the pollution that those infrastruc-tures generate and the landscape trans-formation that it entails, have to be includ-ed in the cost of those installations.

The marinas are in a great part responsiblefor the loss of sand of the Catalonian beach-es, as well as the disappearance of theshipping shoals of the Catalonian coast.

Despite the improvement of the quality ofthe bathing waters reported by the Cat-

alonian Water Agency, some spots of theCatalonian coast still register dumping onits beaches. Only in the coast ofBarcelona, 136 pollution incidents wereregistered during the past period.


© Greenpeace/Ceccaroni



ON 2004

(Information drawn from the EuropeanCommission’s report on the bathingwaters quality)V

· Beach of Castelldefels. Barcelona.· Beach of Pla de l’Os. Premiá de Mar.

Barcelona.· Beach of Sant Sebastia. Sitges.

Barcelona.

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Gerona1. El Port de la Selva. Excessive urbandevelopment Plans.2. Llança (Empordá). Project for buildinghouses and a hotel in Cap Ras.3. Roses. Excessive urban developmentPlans.4. San Pere Pescador (Empordá).Residential marina with 350 berthsand 500 houses.5. Vilanera (L’Escala). Golf course with327 houses associated.6. Castell Beach (Palamós): polluted fromsewage.7. San Pol Beach: polluted from sewage.

Barcelona8. Pineda de Mar. Continued pollution tothe beach because of underwater outlet.9. Arenys de Mar beach: polluted fromsewage.10. Badalona. Strip of coast polluted bywaste chemical materials from the Croscompany.11. Barcelona. Marina Forum 2004.Shipping shoal affected. Authorization ofa zoological in the Coastal publicproperty.12. Beach of Larga beach. Vilanova i laGeltrú. Urban development in floodablearea.

Tarragona13. Torredembarra. Project for buildinghouses in Coastal public property.14. Salou. Ponent, Vilafortuny, l'Esqueroland Sant Pere beaches: polluted fromsewage.15. Delta of the river Ebro. Huge urbandevelopment projects in its townsand cities.


THE COMUNIDAD VALENCIANA HOLDS ONE OF THE GREATEST LEVELSOF DEVELOPMENT IN ITS STRIP OF COAST, AND IT SEEMS TO BEDISPOSED TO HOLDING IT. OVERALL, IT HAS 33% OF ITS FIRST KILOMETER OF COASTDEVELOPED. ALICANTE WITH 49,3%, IS ABOVE THAT PERCENT WITH ONE OF THE HIGHESTAVERAGE OF FIRST COASTAL KILOMETER DEVELOPED OF THE SPANISH COASTS, FOLLOWEDBY VALENCIA WITH 28,7% AND CASTELLON WITH 23,5%.

© Greenpeace/Bartolomé


COMUNIDAD VALENCIANA


The urban development Law from thisregion didn’t pass the European Commis-sion exam that investigates its lack oftransparency and arbitrariness. An embar-rassing situation that shows the hugeinterests that take priority in the coast ofthe Province of Valencia. The EuropeanCommission has brought disciplinarysanction because of the lack of trans-parency and arbitrariness in the applica-tion of the laws regulating Urban develop-ment activity (LRAU)7. Brussels has ques-tioned the way some urban developmentplans were putted out to tender by thelocal government of the Generalitat Valen-ciana and it has recommended to impose amoratorium on urban development untilthe deficiencies found would be repaired.This moratorium has not been adoptedVI.

Urban development goes on in the coast. Inthe south of Valencia 10.000 new houseswill be built, meanwhile Castellón will drawto the market 180.000 houses in the nextfifteen years and Alicante, with 50% of itscoast built, is still authorizing new projects.

Likewise, there is an excessive rise of theamount of golf courses, that represent an

unsustainable consumption of land andwater resources. Despite all that, theregional government encourages promot-ers to build new courses and promises tosubsidize with funds aimed for naturalcare purposes, a bet difficult to describe.

Neither are respected the coastal naturalspaces. The humid areas of the coast ofthe Valencia region are constantlyharassed by several urban projects fordevelopment. Fifteen of those projects,that have the towns and cities councilsapproval, have been sent to court.

The information about the tourist sec-tor stagnation given by official organsdoes not seem to make any impressionin the administrations, that doesn’tshow any worry to take care of a dam-aged strip of coast that attracts lessand less tourism. The Comunidad Valen-ciana registered last month of July adrop of 10% in the hotel occupation, thehighest in all Spain according to theState Department for Tourism. The pro-moters and building firms' assault to thetourist sector is ruining the prospectsfor the sector’s future.

(7) In July 2004 the platform No more Urban Development Outrages (AUN) reported a formal complaint against the laws regulating Urban development activity in

Valencia because it breaks the environmental regulation about public contracts, and the articles 43 to 55 of the European Union Treaty and the main principles pointed

by the European Tribunal of Justice, particularly the principle of treatment equality among the tender agents that apply for the development of a particular area.

© Greenpeace/Bartolomé


Year by year it is possible to observe howthe influx of tourists that leave benefitsfalls and how a massive influx of the socalled by experts “anti-economic tourist”increases: tourists accommodated intheir second residencies and that virtual-ly doesn’t leave benefits to the hotels andcatering sector.

All is permitted in the name of the America'sCup. The enlargement projects or the con-struction of new marinas are absolutelyexcessive, but the administrations go for-ward with those despite the growing oppo-sition of the citizens, that have understoodbefore its ruling classes that if they want topreserve their beaches they can’t go on fill-ing the coast with cement.

The erosion of the coast has become evi-dent through the loss of sand from thebeaches and it causes an increasing prob-lem of intensity and magnitude in thecoast of the Comunidad Valenciana.According to a survey from PolytechnicUniversity of Valencia, since 1947, thebeaches of Valencia have lost more thantwo million cubic meters of sand funda-mentally because of the construction ofbarriers that stop the sediment from arriv-ing. The solution mainly taken from theMinistry of Environment is the artificial

accretion of the beaches, a provisionaland very expensive solution.

The pollution problems are still present inseveral spots of the coast of the Comu-nidad Valenciana. There are insufficientsewage systems, which causes, from timeto time, that the towns sewage end up pol-luting the beaches.

© Greenpeace/Magán



ON 2004


· Beach of Punta del Raset. Dénia.Alicante.

· Beach of Sud. Peñíscola. Castellón.· Beach of Rabdells. Oliva. Valencia.· Beach of Mareny de Baranquetes.

Sueca. Valencia.· Beach of La Llastra. Sueca. Valencia.· Beach of les Palmeretes. Sueca.

Valencia.· Beach of Cabanyas. Valencia.· Beach of la Malva-Rosa. Valencia.

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Castellón1. Peñíscola. New marina.2. Cabanes. 20.000 new housesdeveloped.3. Oropesa-Cabanes. Development of the“Mundo Ilusión Costa Azahar (HopefulWord Azahar Coast)”: Leisure Park,26.000 houses and 3 new golf courses.4. Oropesa. Three new golf courses.5. Benicassim. New marina that willaffect the beach of Voramar.6. Park of the Coast beach of Pinar deCastellón. Infrastructures instead ofrecovery.7. Burriana. 100% development of itscoast in the last few years.8. Moncofa. 30.000 new housesdeveloped.

Valencia9. Cup of America. Enlargement of thePort of Valencia that will affect to thebeaches of Arenas and Malva-rosa.10. Albufera de Valencia Natural Park.Modification of the regulations forbuilding inside. Will be affected by thewater transfer of the rivers Júcar-Vinalopó.11. Sueca. Beach of Motilla. Constantpollution.12. Cullera. Construction of 33skyscrapers, 2 hotels of 42 floors and anew marina.13. Tavernes de la Valldigna. Un-protection of 1 million square meters ofthe coast for urban development.14. Xeraco. Declassification ofagricultural lands for urban development.15. Gandía. Enlargement of the marina ofthis town to triplicate its berths. Beach ofl’Ahuir: un-protection for development.16. Oliva. Development of 26.000 m2 ofits north beach.17. Marjal de Pego-Oliva. Outstandingsentence for urban development.

Alicante18. Dénia. Enlargement of the town’smarina with 1.000 new berths. Artificialaccretion of the sand causingenvironmental damages.

19. Xábia. The enlargement of themarina affects the beach of La Grava.20. Benisa. 34 partial plans fordevelopment.21. Altea. Enlargement of the town’smarina. enlargement of the marina “LuisCampomanes” breaking all theenvironmental requirements.22. La Vila Joiosa. Illegal building of ahotel in the first strip of coast.23. Alicante. Beach of Albufereta.Continuous pollution since a decade.


THE GALICIAN COAST IS SUFFERING ONE OF THE WORST DEGENERATIVEPROCESS IN ALL THE SPANISH COAST.

© Greenpeace/Magnani


GALICIA


The urban development in the Galiciancoast is characterized by the anarchy in thebuilding and the slack attitude of the admin-istration that has contributed to a largeextent to the landscape degradation. Theregional government of Galicia, Xunta deGalicia, has modified the Land Law in orderto get the regulatory measures as regardsurban development even slacker. Amongthe most criticized are the General Programof Town Planning of Vigo and the one ofMarín, that have collected thousands ofamendments because of how they willaffect to the cities and because of the disap-pearance of green spaces it will entail.

The tourism “boom” in the north coast is afact. Attracted by the low prices, the coastsof Galicia are getting filled with projectstaken in charge by the same property devel-opers that have flooded the Mediterraneancoast during the last three past decades.

The years of lax attitude in its care, result-ing in either land and water pollution inci-dents have been substituted by a new ten-dency: filling its coast with cement marina-shaped and allowing the development of agreat number of houses built on its coasts

accompanied by golf courses. The role ofthe Ministry of Environmental seems tocontribute to that tendency, as during thelast year a huge amount of works havebeen authorized in that coast and are con-tributing to affect the natural spaces char-acteristics of that Atlantic coast strip in anirreversible way.

The transformation that the Costa da Morte

is experiencing after the Prestige catastro-phe provides tragic evidence of the littlevalue that the administrations give to thepreservation and recovery of a coast,unique by its natural characteristics. Eachday new building projects come up, newroads are built in virgin areas or new mari-nas are developed, but none investment isdone to finish with the pollution caused bythe lack of sewage treatment plants.

The development or enlargement of newports have direct consequences on thebeaches stability and on the rich shellfishfishing banks located around. Despite allthat, the number of marinas are stillincreasing in the coast of Galicia.

© Greenpeace

In just one year one thousand berths havebeen added to the 4.000 existing and the“Plan Estratéxico 2004-2007 de Portos deGalicia” (Regional strategic Plan for Gali-cian Ports 2004-2007 ) establishes thatthey will get up to 14.389 in two years.Those facts have brought about the Provin-cial Federation of Fishermen guilds to askthe Xunta de Galicia for a revision of theplans made for the construction of newports and the rías filling, because of thedamages that those plans are causing tothe fishing sector.

The oil slick caused by the Prestige is stillproducing consequences on the coast ofGalicia that are still showing evidence oftar in some spots of Carnota, Malpica, Car-

ballo, Camariñas, Muxía, Cee, Fisterra,

Corrubedo or the Illas Atlánticas National

Park, in a surface over 60.000 squaremeters. The reopening of the catastropheinvestigation sub-commission in the Gali-cian parliament by a court order hasbrought to light the environmental conse-quences of the spilling, that the Galiciancoast is still suffering almost three yearslater and that the experts extend 10 to 15more years.

The major part of the Galician rías are lack-ing of comprehensive cleaning up net-works. Cities as A Coruña and Ferrol does

not have a sewage treatment plant andthe one of Vigo doesn’t fulfil the Europeanregulations. One of the coast areas thatsuffer the biggest pollution problems ofthe Galician coast is the Rías of Vigo, wherethe industrial dumping without treatmentand the towns and cities poor sewagecleaning up are usual in the area.

The future of Galician coast must involvethe administrations, companies and citi-zens care commitment. If the current ten-dency goes on, we would be assisting tothe destruction of one of the most beauti-ful and wild coasts of the whole IberianPeninsula.

© Greenpeace


BEACHES WITH BATHING WATERS WHICH QUALITY LEVEL DECREASED

ON 2004

(Information drawn from the European Commission’s report on the bathing waters quality)

Pontevedra· Beach of A Ribeira. Baiona.· Beach of Salguerón. Cangas. · Beach of Raxo. Poio. · Beach of Cesantes. Redondela. · Beach of Samil. Vigo. · Beach of Mende. Vigo. · Beach of Fontaiña. Vigo. · Beach of A Sobreira. Vigo.

Lugo· Beach of A Rapadoira. Foz.

A Coruña· Beach of O Reiro. Arteixo. · Beach of Valcobo. Arteixo. · Beach of Barrañán. Arteixo. · Beach of A Salsa. Arteixo. · Beach of Gandario. Bergondo. · Beach of O Pedrido. Bergondo. · Beach of Cabanas. Chamoso. · Beach of Area Longa. Camariñas. · Beach of Arou. Camariñas. · Beach of Ría de Baldaio. Carballo. · Beach of Almieras. Fene. · Beach of Boa Pequeña. Noia. · Beach of Taramancos. Noia. · Beach of Rons. O Grove. · Beach of Centroña. Pontedeume.

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Pontevedra1. Canido. Project for the construction ofa marina that will seriously affect thebeaches of the town.2. A Lagoa Marina (Vigo). Enlargementand construction in the public lands andwaters.3. Bueu. New marina.4. Ría of Pontevedra. Despite the expirydate of the concession to occupy thepublic lands and waters the cellulosecompany Ence-Elnosa doesn’t want toleave.5. Port of Marín. The enlargement hasaffected the fishing shoals from the area.6. Sanxenxo. Urban developmentSaturation. Destruction of a coastal pineforest to build a promenade. 7. Portonovo. Location of funfairs onregenerated dunes.

8. O Xufre (Illa de Arousa). Enlargementof the marina.

A Coruña9. Castiñeiras. Attempts of developmentin the public lands and waters.10. Cabo Touriñán. Food TechnologicalPark (agricultural farm) located in a Siteof Community Importance.11. Muxía. New marina.12. Road Traba-Camelle in a virgin area.13. Laxe. Lake of Traba. Un-protection forurban development.14. Port of Corme. The enlargementplanned would affect the shoals of thearea.15. Costa da Morte. Pollution caused by alack of sewage treatment plants.16. Lake of Baldaio. Illegal development,destruction of dunes.

17. Bens (Coruña). Repsol companydumping.18. A Coruña. Lacks of a sewagetreatment plant.19. Exterior Port of A Coruña. Destructionof a strip of virgin coast in PuntaLangosteira.20. Miño. Urban development , marinaand golf course.21. Estuary inlet of Ares. Developmentproject of “Super-port Ártabros”.22. Ferrol. Lacks of a sewage treatmentplant.


THE BACKING DOWN OF THE PROTECTION AND CONSERVATION OF THEBALEARIC ISLANDS SINCE THE ARRIVAL OF JAUME MATAS TO THEREGIONAL GOVERNMENT HAS DISRUPTED ANY ATTEMPT OF RATIONALITYIN ITS COASTS. THE DISAPPEARANCE OF THE MORATORIUM ON URBAN DEVELOPMENT ANDTHE CONSTRUCTION OF MARINAS REVIVES AGAIN THE “BALEARICSATION”, A TERM COINED BYSPECIALISTS TO DEFINE THE COASTAL DEGRADATION.



BALEARIC ISLANDS


(8) Some examples of natural protected areas which extension has considerably decreased since the arrival of Mr. Matas: Natural Park of Llevant and the natural

reserve of Cap Ferrutx and Cap des Freu in Mallorca and the Natural Park of Cala d’Hort in Ibiza.

The Balearic Islands are still experiencingan urban development growth. Drawing upthe Territorial Development Plans doesn’tlimit that expansion, on the contrary, thoseplans increase even more the surface des-tined for building in the islands. The Territo-rial Plan of Mallorca increments the land fordevelopment, planning to build 5.000hectares in 10 years.VII In Ibiza, the InsularTerritorial Plan increases in a big extent thesurfaces aimed for building, a lot of whichgoes up into valleys and mounts at a virginstate, where there aren’t until now infra-structures or constructions.

In the Balearic Islands, paradoxically, thenatural spaces protection has decreasedsince the arrival to head of the regional gov-ernment, the former Minister for Environ-ment, Jaume Matas. Under Matas’s leader-ship, the natural protected spaces “shrink”8

or become coveted pieces where to carryout urban development proceedings.

All the measures set up in the last yearand a half try to comply the promise madeby Jaume Matas to revitalize tourism inthe archipelago. And its bet, the bet of theoutdated traditional sun and beach idea

that imply saturation, doesn’t seem to begiving a good result to a tourist sectormore and more desperate by its criticalsituation. Maybe the Balearic executive isstill in time to reflect and abandon thatmodel before it is too late.

Quality tourism can not be used as anexcuse to go on filling up the Islands withhousing developments, golf courses andmarinas. The profits and losses of thatkind of installations have to be evaluatedin a serious and exhaustive way. The golfcourses represent a very high consump-tion of water, land and energy and theysuppose a serious source of pollution bythe salinization generated on the grounddue to the massive use of fertilizers andpesticides. By its part, the over 40 mari-nas existing in the islands are responsiblefor the loss of beaches’ sand, of the pollu-tion and of damages in Posidonia subma-rine meadows.

© Greenpeace/Beltrá


WATERS’ QUALITY


· Beach of Son Moll. Capdepera.Mallorca.

· Beach of Pollença. Pollença. Mallorca.· Beach of Cala Padera. Es Castell.

Menorca.



ON 2004

· Beach of Barcarets. Alcudia. Mallorca.· Beach of Son Moll. Capdepera.

Mallorca.· Beach of Pollença. Mallorca.



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Ibiza1. Sant Antoni. New marina.

Formentera2. Construction of two new piers in Pujolsand sa Canals.

Mallorca3. Calviá. New urban development andgolf course4. Es Trenc-Salobrar de Campos. Urbandevelopment Project.5. Felanitx. Dredging in Portocolom thatcauses damages to archaeological sites.6. Beach of Son Moll. Has bad quality ofthis bathing waters.7. Natural Park of s’Albufera. Golf course.8. Pollença. Urban development in thehumid area of l’Ullal. The beach of thistown has bad quality bathing waters.

Menorca9. Port of Ciutadella. Its enlargement willbring severe environmental damages tothe coast environment.10. Port of Maó. enlargement of thesports facilities and nauticalinstallations.11. Beach of Cala Padera. Es Castell. Itsbathing waters have bad quality.

© Greenpeace/Aranda

THE 1.540 KILOMETERS OF COAST OF THE CANARY ARCHIPELAGO HASAN EXTRAORDINARY VARIETY AND SINGULARITY OF SPECIES ANDECOSYSTEMS. ALTHOUGH, THE CONSEQUENCES OF A TOURISM CARELESS WITH THEENVIRONMENT WHERE IT DEVELOPS ITS ACTIVITY ARE SUPPOSING AN EXCESSIVE COASTOCCUPATION WITH SEVERE PROBLEMS OF COASTAL POLLUTION, ONE OF THE TROUBLES MOSTFORGOTTEN BY THE CANARY ISLANDS REGIONAL ADMINISTRATION.


CANARY ISLANDS


The urban development plans for islandsas La Palma or La Gomera bring them thesame model suffered by islands that arealready saturated. The development plansfor the north coast of Fuerteventura showalso that tendency. In Gran Canaria thereare projects to build 19 new golf coursesthrough the Special Territorial Plan forTourism.

The case of the north coast of Fuerteventu-ra is specially serious. It is a stretch of landalmost virgin where 23 urban developmentplans are been accumulated. The EuropeanCommission considers that the north coastof this island has a great ecological andenvironmental value and deserves to betaken in account in an adequate way by thecompetent authorities before approvingthose plans and so before authorizing thesubsequent projects.

The Canary model obtains the wort qualifi-cation corresponding to the tourist sector,harassed by the over supply of touristrooms and a great number of rooms “withno law on that respect ”on the archipelago,but its leaders doesn’t seem disposed toput an end to the outrages found in theCanary Islands, and in a leap in the dark,they continue to authorize new develop-ments, golf courses and marinas, without

adapting the consumption of basicresources as the land, water and energy,moving the Canary away from the possibil-ity of having a sustainable development.

The survey Tourism from the receiversview and employment, Third trimester2004 of the Institute of Tourism revealsthat the tourism information’s data neverwere so bad before: “during the thirdtrimester of 2004 the international touristarrivals with destination to the CanaryIslands came to a total of 2,4 million, thelowest level in the past five years, drop-ping year-on-year 5%”. The passengerstransportation sector and the travelagencies establishes that the touristsare replacing the Canary with destina-tions as Egypt, because it is cheaper.

The island of Tenerife shelters one of themain affronts against the Canarian coasts:the building project of the Industrial Port ofGranadilla in the south west of the island, astretch of coast with environmental valuesrecognized at a regional, national andEuropean level. The works to develop thePort of Granadilla will suppose seriousenvironmental affections denounced byecologist groups, scientists and a wideamount of citizens.



(9) The area lodges two Sites of Community Importance –Sebadales at the South of Tenerife and Montaña Roja– as several seriously threatened species –the

Loggerhead Turtle (Caretta caretta) and the Atractylis preauxiana– which are priority objective for protection for the European Union and therefore should be so for

the Canarian and Spanish Government.

After the complaints brought to the Euro-pean Commission, its Directorade-Generalfor the Environment considered in August2004 that the project presented environ-mental incompatibility with the protectedspaces of that area.9

The works done in the coast disregard thevalues and the unique wealth that theCanarian coast has. The NATO militarymanoeuvers, the oil prospecting of REP-SOL in front of the coasts of Lanzarote

and Fuerteventura or the development ofthe Industrial Port of Granadilla in thesouth of Tenerife are examples of that wayof behaving.

Regarding the pollution produced by theuntreated sewage, the Canary archipelagois still not taking that problem seriously.Despite of being the first Autonomousregion to apply for having its watersdeclared as Special Area (which meansfree of oil discharges) by the InternationalMaritime Organization, the Canary still pol-luting its waters from the shore, causingfrom time to time pollution incidents thateven leave its beaches useless for bathing.The Canarian coast is drilled by underwa-ter outlets where sewage is dump to thesea without any treatment. A report fromthe Technological Institute of the Canary

Islands on the quality of the waters of itscoast revealed that in a few years, some ofthe beaches that today fulfills the qualityrequirements imposed by the EuropeanCommission, will not pass the new exams(microbiological analysis).


BEACHES WITH A BAD BATHING WATERS’ QUALITY

(Information drawn from the European Commission’s report on the bathing waters quality)

BEACHES WITH BATHING WATERS WHICH QUALITY LEVEL DECREASED

ON 2004

· Beach of Las Nieves. Agaete.Gran Canaria.

· Beach of Bocabarranco. Galdar.Gran Canaria.

· Beach of Caleta Arriba. Galdar.Gran Canaria.

· Beach of Muelleviejo. La Oliva.Fuerteventura.

· Beach of Castillo de San G. Arrecife.Lanzarote.

· Beach of Las Nieves. Agaete.Gran Canaria.

· Beach of Muelle Pescadores. Arrecife.Lanzarote.

· Beach of Pila Barrilla. Tías. Lanzarote.

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5

6

7

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1011

1213

171814 15

19

20

2221

16


La Palma1. La Palma. 25.000 new hotel roomsbuilding and two new marinas.

La Gomera2. La Gomera. Plans to duplicate itstourist rooms.

Tenerife3. Adeje. Sewage dumping to Paraísobeach.4. Industrial Port of Granadilla.Destruction of protected coastal habitatsand natural beaches.Puerto de Santa Cruz de Tenerife.Construction of a private marina thatrestricts the entry to the port.5. Arico. Sea dumping next to the coastthrough underwater damaged outlets.6. Santa Cruz Port: private Marina inside.

Gran Canaria7. Agaete. Las Nieves beach. Bad qualityof its bathing waters.8. Mogán. Sewage pollution.9. Port of Arinaga. enlargement withsevere environmental damages.10. Las Palmas. Development project ofthe isthmus of Santa Catalina. Illegaltender.11. Bay of Canteras. Sewage pollution.12. Galdar. Bocabarrancoand CaletaArriba beaches: bad quality of its bathingwaters.

Fuerteventura13. La Oliva. El Cotillo. 23 urbandevelopment plans in the north coast ofthe island; Majanicho. 750 houses, 1.500hotel rooms, a golf course and camping;El Tamboril. 3.000 tourism rooms and awater park; El Faro Beach. 6.000 newrooms for tourists and a golf course.14. Muelleviejo beach. Bad quality of itsbathing waters.15. Pájara. 24.000 new rooms for tourist.16. Oil prospecting of Repsol company infront of the coasts of Fuerteventura andLanzarote. Serious environmentaldamages.

Lanzarote17. Arrecife. Castillo de San Gabriel andMuelle de Pescadores beaches: badquality of its bathing waters.



BASQUE COUNTRYURBAN DEVELOPMENT IN THE BASQUE COUNTRY COAST IS VERYINTENSE IN SOME SPOTS. THE NEW DEVELOPMENTS THAT ARE BEING BUILT IN THECOAST ARE FUNDAMENTALLY DEVOTED TO ATTEND THE DEMAND CAUSED BY THE HIGHPRICES OF THE CITIES.



The Urban Development Plans show thatthis tendency will continue in the future.Municipalities from Vizcaya as Bakio,

Getxo, Górliz, Plentzia or Sopelana startbeing saturated by urban development onits coasts .

The measures undertaken by the BasqueGovernment to protect the humid areas orstop the pollution will benefit the coastwithout any doubt. Although, the works onits ports blur these proceedings.

The enlargement of the port of Bilbao,along with the underwater sand extrac-tion or the change of legal status of landsin order to allow its urban developmentlands re-qualification, illustrates one ofthe major problems of the coast: its pas-sage into the port authorities hands, onlyworried about the profitability of the ports.The project of development of a new exte-rior port in Pasajes embraces the Spanishports suicidal tendency, fierce rivalsamong themselves, motivated by the lackof management from the Ministry ofDevelopment.

The Basque Government seems disposedto end up with the dumping to its coasts,and with that purpose it has set up anambitious cleaning up that will touch all

the municipalities of over 10.000 habi-tants, in the coast and in areas with agreat environmental value.

The oil slick of the Prestige is still leavingits wake behind in the Basque country,where some fuel oil samples are still arriv-ing after each storm to beaches asZarautz and Getaria. The Basque Govern-ment estimates that there are stillbetween 500 and 1.000 tons of fuel oil toclear up from its coast. Besides the fuel oilremains, the Basque coast was divided in43 areas in order to analyze the effects ofthe catastrophe, seven of them are still“hardly shocked”.

© Greenpeace/Beltrá


WATERS’ QUALITY


· Beach of Oribarzar. Ondarroa.Guipúzcoa.

· Beach of Toña. Sukarrieta.Guipúzcoa.

· Beach of Zarautz. Guipúzcoa.· Beach of Santiago. Zumaia.

Guipúzcoa.



ON 2004

· Beach of Oribarzar. Ondarroa.Guipúzcoa.

· Beach of Zarautz. Guipúzcoa· Beach of Santiago. Zumaia.

Guipúzcoa.· Beach of Gorliz. Vizcaya.· Beach of Plentzia. Vizcaya.

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34

5 6 7

910

11 1213

1415

8


Vizcaya1. Port of Bilbao. Extraction of sands infront of the coast. Change of the legalstatus of lands in order to allow its urbandevelopment2. Getxo. Urban development in thecoast.3. Sopelana. Urban development in thecoast.4. Górliz. Urban development in thecoast.5. Plentzia. Urban development in thecoast. New marina.6. Bakio. Urban development in the coast.7. Bermeo. New marina.8. Sukarrieta. Toña beach: bad quality ofits bathing waters.

9. Ondarroa. Beach of Oribarzar. Badquality of its bathing waters.10. Mutriku. Mutriku. Marina-Fishing portwith environmental affections.

Guipúzcoa11. Beach of Santiago. Bad quality of itsbathing waters.12. Beach of Zarautz. Bad quality of itsbathing waters.13. Orio. New marina.14. Pasajes. Project to develop an exteriorport.15. Hondarribia. New marina.


THE TERRITORY OF THE REGION OF MURCIA, AND SPECIALLY ITS COAST,IS SUFFERING A DEEP TRANSFORMATION IN THE LAST YEARS. THE SAMEMODEL OF URBAN DEVELOPMENT SATURATION IS BEING FOLLOWED.THE MODEL THAT REPEATS IN OTHER AREAS OF THE MEDITERRANEAN COAST AND THATHAVE ENRICHED SO MANY PROMOTERS, ALTHOUGH WITH METHODS NOT SEEN UNTIL NOWAT THE SCALE IN WHICH IT HAPPENS IN THIS REGION: MODIFICATION OF THE CURRENTREGULATIONS TO REDUCE OR MAKE DISAPPEAR THE PROTECTION OF THE NATURAL SPACES.

© Greenpeace/GdA Murcia


REGION OF MURCIA


(10) The proceeding of a Regional interest and the Guidelines and the Coastal Development Plan that protects it have been appealed before the Higher Court of

Justice of Murcia, and have been admitted to the procedure.

(11) The declaration of Proceeding of a Regional Interest gives, among other, the legal authority to expropriate directly and urgently the lands affected to put them at

the development company’s disposal.

(12) Law 4/92 of Development and Protection of the Territory Law 1/95 of Environmental protection and Law 7/95 of the Wild Fauna.

The regional Government makes a changeof legal status for 15.000 hectares of pro-tected lands, which more than two thou-sand are coastal, in order to allow itsurban development, or allow the locationof golf courses inside of naturals Parks.

In the period 1999-2000, the populationin this region increased 14,9%, whereasits urban development increased until52,6%. Today, 35 from the 45 municipali-ties of Murcia are checking its urbandevelopment plans. The development epi-center extends from all the coast andaround the Mar Menor. Municipalities asBaños y Mendigo, Sucina, Corvera, Jeróni-

mo and Avileses will increase its numberof developments in 30.000 new housesand eleven golf courses.

Development Projects as “Novo Carthago”

would suppose building up a new city with10.000 to 12.000 houses in a space ofmore than five million square meters inthe south seaside of the Mar Menor.Between Águilas and Lorca the complex“Marina de Cope”10 will be built thanks to achange of legal status of more than twothousand hectares lands by the Govern-

ment of Murcia with the New Land Law ofthe region in order to allow its urbandevelopment. 11.000 houses, 23.000hotel rooms, five golf courses and an inte-rior marina with 1.500 berths are the datathat surrounds the project, declared “pro-ceeding of a regional interest11” by theRegional Government of Murcia.

The regional government doesn’t respectthe natural protected spaces. The Environ-mental Department is trying to modify theNature and Landscape Conservation Lawof the Region of Murcia in order to uniteseveral environmental laws in one with aregional view according to which 11 fromthe 19 protected spaces existing in theRegion of Murcia will disappear (in thecoast they propose the disappearance ofsix of the nine coastal protected spaces )and moreover, it would abolish the threeregional environmental Laws existing cur-rently12. The preliminary plan leaves alsothe door open to the modification or disap-pearance of the eight protected spacesthat are left now, and it proposes the dras-tic decrease of the degree of protectionfor those.

© Greenpeace/GdA Murcia

The true lack of protection for the biggestSpanish salt-water lagoon, the Mar Menor,is not due to a lack of arguments to justifyit, that are certainly very much, neither toa lack of legal means, that are also many.Neither the awareness seems to be miss-ing among the society, nor public declara-tions from the institutions involved aboutthe need, opportunity and urgency ofsafeguarding the Mar Menor, what seemsto be lacking is a clear commitment of act-ing in the Planning of the uses and activi-ties, and of investing the necessaryresources to carry out that planningorganization.

Recently a motion has been brought tothe Regional Parliament in order to modifythe Law of Ports to increase the number ofberths of the coast of Murcia.

Regarding the pollution problems, the cur-rent sources are combined with a lack offoresight in order to create new sewagetreatment plants as they are associated tothe big urban development planned in thecoast of Murcia. The location of desalting

plants in the coast is another possiblesource of pollution and occupation of thelimited and valued coast land. The brinesfrom the desalting have to be correctlytreated, as they can cause substantial

alterations in the maritime medium (byincensement of the salinity and its contentof chemical products). A special care has tobe taken in those coastal areas where thepresence of submarine Posidonia oceanicameadows have been established.



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1. San Pedro del Pinatar: construction ofthe Marina of las Salinas.2. La Manga del Mar Menor. Constructionof two artificial illegal beaches.Construction of the Marina Puerto Mayor.3. San Javier. Project “Roda Golf”.Development of 1.814 houses and a golfcourse.4. Open spaces and Islands of the MarMenor. Natural space to which theregional government wants to removethe protection.5. Los Nietos. Beach of la Lengua de laVaca. Sewage dumping.6. Islands and islets of theMediterranean. Natural space to whichthe regional government wants toremove the protection.

7. Cartagena. Project of “Novo Carthago”.10.000 new houses built.8. La Muela-Cabo Tiñoso. Natural space towhich the regional government wants toremove the protection.9. Mazarrón. Development of 4.500houses, 1.000 hotel rooms and a golfcourse in el Mojón beach. New marina.Dumping of untreated sewage to the sea.10. Regional Park of the coast of CaboCope and Puntas de Calnegre. Naturalspace to which the regional governmentwants to remove the protection.11. Águilas-Lorca. Project “Marina deCope”. Development of 11.000 houses,23.000 hotel rooms, 5 golf courses and amarina in a natural space that has beenunprotected by the regional government.

12. Águilas. Development of 3.000houses and Hotels.13. Casica Verde. Águilas. New Marina.14. Cuatro Calas. Natural space to whichthe regional government wants toremove the protection.15. Sierra de las Moreras. Natural spaceto which the regional government wantsto remove the protection.



I “One third of the coast of Málaga islacking of a sewage treatment”. LaOpinión de Málaga. 5/08/04.II Black Flags in Andalusia 2005 Report.Ecologistas en Acción. June 2005.III Bathing water quality. Annual report,2004 bathing season. EuropeanCommission.http://www.europa.eu.int/water/water-bathing/report/bathing_report_2004_es.pdfIV Els ecosistemes marins de Catalunya:present i futur. Proposta per a laGeneralitat de Catalunya. EnricBallesteros, Enrique Macpherson,Joandoménec Ros, Enric Sala y MikelZabala. 2004.V Bathing water quality. Annual report,2004 bathing season. EuropeanCommission.http://www.europa.eu.int/water/water-bathing/report/bathing_report_2004_es.pdfVI Report of the Petitions of the EuropeanParliament .VII “Amb el PTM cada día se podrienurbanitzar i edificar l'equivalent a 3camps de futbol”. Statement issued to thepress GOB. 9/12/04.

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