What is a black flag beach and why you may want to avoid | Europe | Travel

A number of popular Spanish beaches have been given a black flag by the Spanish environmental NGO Ecologists in Action, who issue these to warn of pollution and sewage discharge at these locations.

Their report also warns of plastic waste and environmental damage on the coastline, arguing that urbanisation and mass tourism are to blame for these problems.

48 beaches have been given blag flags in this year’s annual report, including those in popular destinations such as Malaga and Costa del Sol and some on the Spanish islands of Ibiza, Tenerife, and Lanzarote.

Although many other beaches in Spain were given full marks and there are still plenty for locals and tourists to enjoy and soak up the sun.

Of the 48 beaches listed, 15 were suffering from overdevelopment near the coastline, and 16 were said to have insufficient management of wastewater, meaning pollutants and contaminants and not effectively removed from the ocean.

Other reasons beaches have been named in the report are chemical pollution, noise pollution, industrial damage, and marine waste. The ecologists also claimed that two hotels in Fuerteventura have been built in a protected area.

Beaches named in the report include El Amerador Beach, in Alicante and Playa Beach in Lanzarote, both of which were victims of sewage contamination. While the entire Malaga coastline was listed due to pollution.

Discussing the report, spokeswoman for Ecologists in Action, Ana Aldarias, told the i: “Obviously, Spain owes a lot to tourism. But it generates a great deal of material which causes contamination which it cannot assimilate. The ecological footprint of the Canary Islands corresponds to a region 27 times bigger.”

To counteract these issues, Ana suggested that authorities should offer a “sustainable” form of tourism which “respects the environment”, “avoids gentrification” and “kicking people out of their homes.” The spokeswoman also endorsed the idea that tourism should have some form of “eco-tax”, which can help offset the damage caused by holidaymakers..

Here is the full list of black flag beaches by region:

Catalonia

• La Farella, Girona
• Various beaches on the Costa Brava, Girona
• Comarca del Maresme, Barcelona
• Sant Adrià del Besò, Barcelona
• Camino de Ronda, Tarragona
• Playa de la Pineda, Costa Dorada, Tarragona

Valencia

• Playa de L’Estany-Capicorb, Castellon
• Playa de Burriana, Castellon
• Beaches at the Parque Natural de l’Albufera, Valencia
• Puerto de Valencia, Valencia,
• Barranco y playa del Amerador, Alacant
• Playas de Cap l’horta, Albufera, Postiguet and San Gabriel, Alacant

Murcia

• Mar Menor
• Portman Bay and Sierra Minera

Andalucia

• Playa Quitapellejos-Palomares, Almeria
• Playa de ‘El Lancón’ en Carboneras, Almeria
• Playa de Castell de Ferro, Granada
• Playa Granada y Poniente, Granada
• Playas de Malaga, Malaga
• Coast of Malaga, Malaga
• Tarifa, Cadiz
• Costa de Trafalgar, Cadiz
• Huelva river, Huelva
• El Portil, Huelva

Galicia

• Aldán river, Concello de Cangas, Pontevedra
• Arousa river and Pontevedra river, Pontevedra
• Minera de Galicia, A Coruna
• Pereiro river and Ramisqueira river, A Coruna
• Alcoa pond, Lugo
• Galician coast, Lugo

Asturies and Cantabria

• Port of Figueres, Asturies
• Villaviciosa, Asturies
• Playa de Usgo, Cantabria
• San Román de la Llanilla, Cantabria

Basque Country

• Lamiako marsh area, Bizkaia
• Gernika and Murueta, Bizkaia
• Santa Clara Island, Gipuzkoa
• La Concha Island, Gipuzkoa

Balearic Islands

• Cala Xarraca, Ibiza
• Playa de Talamanca, Ibiza

Melilla and Ceuta

• Port of Melilla
• Melilla Bay
• Monte Hacho
• Playa de Desnarigado

Canary Islands

• Playa Blanca, Las Palmas, Lanzarote
• Corralejo Dunes, Las Palmas, Fuerteventura
• La Tejita Beach (Granadilla), Puertito de Armeñime (Adeje), Tenerife
• Northwest coastline of Tenerife