THE nice variety of ecosystems and wild species native to Spain make it probably the most biodiverse in Europe, but additionally put it on the frontline over the urgent challenge of nature conservation. 

Spain has the best variety of endangered vegetation in Europe, and 1 / 4 of its vertebrates are included within the ‘endangered’, ‘weak’ or ‘uncommon’ classes, in response to the Worldwide Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN).

Whereas Spain has 1,600 protected areas, representing 12% of the nation’s land (round 14 million hectares), it solely has a number of dozen virgin seashores left, only a few within the south.

Continuous stress to develop uncommon undeveloped zones, such because the Cabo de Gata in Almería or the Cope space of Murcia, will get ever extra acute, with a necessity for extra jobs and commerce.

With Tarifa’s well-known virgin seashores dealing with SIX new developments, the Olive Press has relaunched its Arms Off Our Costas marketing campaign.

Working alongside Spain’s largest environmental group, Ecologistas en Accion, we intention to focus on the politicians and builders, who’ve traditionally proven little regard for the wealthy heritage of Spain’s fragile shoreline.

“Whereas a variety of effort is being employed to guard what’s left of the atmosphere, the event of financial actions is consuming and degrading pure sources at a dizzying price,” a spokesman informed the Olive Press this week.

Right here, the Olive Press identifies 5 different coastal zones liable to mass growth. 

Cope Marina, Murcia

This fragile stretch of coast was worryingly not included in current proposals to listing it as a ‘web site of neighborhood curiosity’ regardless of it bordering land that’s.

The realm encompasses a wide selection of animal habitats and distinctive wildlife which is internationally recognised.

Specifically the strip is house to the Greek tortoise, which is an endangered and guarded species with greater than half of the inhabitants of Europe present in Murcia.

Additionally it is one of many final undeveloped areas of Murcia, a uncommon exception to the overexploited costas close by, with the Mar Menor already in vital hazard of collapse.

This stretch of the Med has nice ecological, panorama and geomorphological worth and has been put in peril earlier than.

In 1974 there was appreciable opposition to a nuclear energy plant, and protests took on the Ministry of Trade, reaching their goal a decade later when the challenge was withdrawn.

However locals stay fearful that new growth plans may very well be introduced at any time, with fixed rumours being repeatedly bandied round.

Cabo de Gata, Almeria

Agua Amarga is a fairly fishing village in Cabo de Gata-Nijar pure park. With a inhabitants of simply 400 it’s nonetheless largely undiscovered by large-scale tourism and stays one among Andalucia’s hidden seaside treasures.

Whereas its identify interprets as ‘bitter water’, the seashore is essentially sheltered with clean, calm waters excellent for swimming and nice for household visits.

Fortuitously, Agua Amarga was spared from intensive coastal growth throughout the early 2000s which noticed huge swathes of neighbouring shoreline constructed on.

There have been many plans mooted and plenty of tasks happily turned down, a lot of them due to the publicity by native protest teams and media.

However whether or not that may proceed to be the case stays to be seen.

Simply up the coast at San Jose, additionally in Cabo de Gata, the Junta authorised the transformation of an previous farmhouse right into a 30 room resort in entrance of the completely virgin seashore, Los Genoveses, earlier this 12 months.

It got here regardless of a petition signed by 250,000 folks and 6 protest teams.

They are saying the Las Chiqueras challenge is a computer virus for way more growth. Builders will now have 5 years to develop the handful of previous buildings constructed for agriculture, in addition to add some extra, plus swimming swimming pools. Ecologists insist different close by ruins might be subsequent in line for growth inflicting devastation to the seashore and the realm’s distinct fauna and flora.

Cabopino and Artola Dunes, Costa del Sol, Malaga

Gusty northwesterly winds and coastal currents introduced a steady move of sand with them to type a financial institution of dunes reaching some 20 kilometres in size alongside this delicate enclave between Mijas and Marbella. 

The dunes are house to distinctive vegetation, tailored to resist the robust daylight, shortage of water and steady buffeting of the wind. 

Los Ladrones Tower can also be an historical navy construction with the cultural property designation relationship again to the Roman interval and subsequently reconstructed by Moors and Christians.

Cala Mosca, Orihuela Costa

The final virgin seashore in Orihuela is below menace from the development of 1,500 new properties for tourism and second residences. 

The city corridor accepted the event in September 2021, which ecologists insist will wipe out protected plant species.

Worse, Estefanía Blanes, councilor of Izquierda Unida, claims that a few of the politicians who’ve opposed the plans have obtained threatening messages from builders. 

The cliffs of Maro, Malaga 

Nerja city corridor accepted the development of 1,000 homes, a golf course and a large resort subsequent to the cliffs of Maro, a well-known protected space in 2021. 

It’s going to stretch from the Barranco de Burriana to the Miel river. 

1000’s of locals have been joined by inexperienced teams to protest the choice, regardless of the issues of the pandemic.

They insist it is going to do untold harm to some of the stunning and final undeveloped enclaves of the east Costa del Sol.

The developer Larios, which owns a lot of the land, insists it will likely be making a specific effort to guard the realm, which has turn out to be unkempt and scruffy over current many years.

READ MORE: