There are four beaches in the Canary Islands that have received a ‘black flag’ this year due to excessive pollution, contamination, and being in poor condition, following the latest report by Ecologistas en Acción which analyzes the sandbanks in the worst state on our coastline.
Specifically, they are El Médano Beach in Tenerife, the marine strip of Fuencaliente in La Palma, Playa La Francesa on the island of La Graciosa, and the port of Corralejo in Fuerteventura.
The group has also identified other coastal enclaves after considering aspects such as the urbanization of the coast, which in some places even invades the area designated as the ‘Maritime-Terrestrial Public Domain’, the sewage discharges, deficiencies in the sanitation systems and serious purification problems, which are affecting biodiversity.
Ecologists in Action have awarded 48 'Black Flags' since 2005, two per province and one for each autonomous city, but say that these only represent the beaches in the very worst condition and that there could easily have been many more.
One of the main problems, recurring since 2005, is the touristification and urbanization of the Spanish coasts, and the introduction of dog beaches. They claim that walking dogs through natural environments has become a very popular activity around the world, but this custom poses a series of environmental problems and challenges that must be addressed responsibly by part of the administrations and dog owners themselves.
They warn of the existence of numerous scientific studies that show the bad impact that walking with dogs causes on coastal fauna, mainly birds, as it is the exclusive habitat for feeding, nesting, and reproduction for many of them. They claim that the negative effects of this activity are quantified well above any other types of discomfort analyzed.
However, they also explain that it is not about "demonizing any animal or the people who accompany them", but about understanding the interaction that occurs between them, because the birds perceive dogs as a predator, and dogs perceive birds as prey.
"When we allow a dog to chase birds, even if they don't catch them, we cause them significant stress, we prevent or make it difficult for them to obtain food, we deprive them of rest and we force them to invest a high energy expenditure in having to escape", said their spokesperson Ana Aldarias.
In this way, the NGO regrets that canine beaches are a booming initiative taken by councils in which, usually, environmental criteria are not taken into account and it is usually beaches considered as lesser tourist value that are selected, which paradoxically tend to be those with the greatest ecological value when it should be the other way around.
