Autumn has only just started but the city council of Palma, the capital of Mallorca, is already preparing for the next summer season. Specifically, its members are looking to bring back balance to the beaches in the municipality – which includes the popular Playa de Palma.be
Aside from the fact that there are more tourists on the island than ever, the beaches have literally become smaller due to coastal erosion, making them that much more crowded, causing both tourists and locals to be unhappy. To tackle this issue, the Balearic island will be reducing the number of sunbeds available on its beaches by next summer.
“We have a completely different coastline today than we did 10, 20 or 30 years ago,” said Mercedes Celeste, Palma city councillor, adding that there just is “less sand than before” for the same number of allowed sunbeds.
By next summer, the aim is to reduce the number of sunbeds and parasols allowed per beach concession. That way, more space will be available for those wanting to enjoy a bit of ‘free’ beach and the loungers will likely be less close to one another, leaving visitors more space to breathe.
The reason why Mallorca’s beaches are shrinking might not immediately be clear to those not familiar with the issue but the island has been suffering from coastal erosion, also known as beach dieback or coastal regression, for years now and it isn’t the only region in Spain to be affected. According to a study, in which scientists from the University of Cadiz participated, around half of the world’s beaches could disappear by the end of the century.
Urban development, such as the construction of marinas and housing projects, and climate change are to blame for the phenomenon. The first ones are damaging the beaches, while storms and rising water levels are washing away the sand. All of this means the once endless stretches of beach are getting narrower, prompting Spanish officials to invest millions of euros per year to patch the damage and bring in new sand.
