SPAIN'S GREEN INITIATIVES

Málaga, Spain - Ministry of the Environment, Coastal Authority
Spain Moves to Protect Málaga Coast

Nearly 170 kilometers of coastline in the Spanish province of Málaga are currently or soon to be under review, as Spain's Ministry of the Environment seeks to return the maritime shore region of the province to public control and usage. Part of the Costa del Sol, Málaga's coastline along the Mediterranean Sea is popular with tourists, the tourism industry, and estate owners. Thus far, only 22.5 kilometers have been examined and approved for transfer as maritime domain. That has meant demolition and recovery work to recover the area's natural character, including the razing of restaurants, bars, hotels, piers, jetties, and other edifices often in disuse and disrepair.

The government's effort has also resulted in legal and informal objections from citizens and landowners concerned over the loss of property and legal control. The Spanish ministry is urging concerned citizens not to over-estimate the effects of the plan on private individuals, promising to be flexible in adjustments that landowners can make in order to avoid wholesale methods of control.

Coastal erosion and the protection of natural areas contiguous to the coastline motivated the government's actions. Coastlines have been retreating on the Málaga Coast, as has been the case in areas around the world where human use and development alter the flow of sand, soil, water, and river deposits resulting in significant losses of coastal acreage. Spain's bold action is likely to foreshadow the sort of difficult decisions many governments will have to make, intervening more aggressively to preserve natural resources.