The request from the Balearic Ministry of Environment to close three beach bars on es Trenc to prevent erosion has raised strong controversy on Mallorca. However, it is not only the Govern who wants to remove the structures on the Balearic sands to preserve biodiversity. A study by the Ministry of Ecological Transition, through the General Directorate for Coasts, also advises demolishing or setting back the buildings further from the beaches of all the islands to “eliminate anthropic pressures on the coast and promote the natural resilience of the coastal system”.
This is the Strategy for the Protection of the Balearic Coast Considering the Effects of Climate Change. A report prepared by Coasta & Marine Union (EUCC), the Institute of Environmental Hydraulics of the University of Cantabria, the Balearic Coastal Observation System (SOCIB) and MedCities, which was commissioned by the General Directorate General for Support to Structural Reforms of the European Commission at the request of the Ministry of Ecological Transition.
The study presents 18 proposals to avoid the harmful effects caused by coastal erosion. Among them, the demolition or elimination of structures on the sand stands out: “The relocation and removal of coastal structures consists of the demolition or realignment towards land of the current lines of defense and elimination of fills or other structures for the recovery of the coastal flood lamination space (space that encompasses the entire Maritime Terrestrial Public Domain).
In addition to buildings, it also considers other types of structures such as huts or jetties that contribute to the disappearance of sandy sediments.
Serious impacts on the coastal environment
The Strategy for the Protection of the Coast of the Balearic Islands lists the main impacts suffered by the coast and especially the beaches of the islands. Firstly, it points to the impact on the natural environment by moorings.
It warns of the numerous occupations of the Public Maritime Terrestrial Domain on the four islands, although in “Mallorca these occupations stand out due to the quantity and also for their seriousness”. Urban pressure on the coastal front is another of the threats detected.
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