One more year, after a new inspection of the more than 8,000 kilometers of the Spanish coasts, Ecologistas en Acción has presented the Black Flags 2023 report, which awards a total of 48 badges: two per province and/or autonomous city, one flag due to pollution and another due to poor environmental management of the coast.
“Year after year we observe problems similar to the previous ones, although without a doubt one of the biggest problems we face is the touristification and urbanization of our coastline”, they indicate from the organization. Thus, among the reasons that carry a black flag are discharges, deficiencies in sanitation systems and serious purification problems; chemical, light and acoustic pollution or the accumulation of marine debris, among others.
These are the 48 #BanderasNegras2023 that we have awarded this year to bring to light the problems of pollution and mismanagement of the coast of the Spanish State. More information in the full report.
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We open thread. 🧵🌊https://t.co/GUmcsYc5JX
– Ecologists in Action (@ecologistas) June 14, 2023
On this occasion, from Ecologistas en Acción they highlight a problem that until now they had not denounced. It is about the proliferation of designated dog beaches without a prior environmental impact assessment. “For designating the beach of A Calzoa as a dog beach, without having foreseen the serious environmental impact that has been generated, a black flag is awarded to the Vigo City Council”, they highlight.. Walking with dogs through natural environments has become a very popular activity around the world, “which raises a series of environmental problems and challenges that must be addressed responsibly by administrations and society,” they add..
Black Flag Beaches in Andalusia
The coast of Andalusia has ten black spots in the five coastal provinces. The pollution and environmental mismanagement of the coast, together with the touristification and urbanization of the coast, put these ten enclaves in the spotlight.
- Huelva: La Antilla Beach (Urbanization) and Ría de Huelva (Discharges)
- Cádiz: Tarifa (urban projects) and Vejer (pollution in El Palmar and invasive occupation of the coast)
- Malaga: Coastal path and light pollution in Malaga
- Granada: Playa de La Herradura (urban planning) and Pozuelo (affects biodiversity)
- Almería: Algarrobico (urban planning) and Roquetas (marine litter)
Fortunately, not all of it is bad news and there are some cases of improvements that have been achieved thanks to citizen mobilization and reports like this one.. Not all administrations turn a deaf ear to popular pressure and mobilization, “and they act so slowly that the changes are barely appreciable,” they point out.. Two examples of this in Andalusia are the future construction of the new treatment plant in Barbate (Cádiz) and the repair of the outfall plus the works to set up the tertiary treatment in Roquetas de Mar (Almería)..