NEWS & EVENTS
Case Study in Spain: Biodiversity VS Urban Coastal Management
Case Study Concept: The metropolitan area of Barcelona comprises 36 municipalities spread over 636 km², with a population of 3.2 million inhabitants. This region includes 42 km of coastline, of which 30 km consist of beaches and dunes managed by the AMB. These beaches cover an approximate area of 2,100,000 m², with 650,000 m² designated as dune areas.
The beaches span across eight coastal municipalities: Castelldefels, Gavà, Viladecans, El Prat de Llobregat, Barcelona, Sant Adrià, Badalona, and Montgat, collectively housing more than two million inhabitants. The metropolitan beaches vary widely: some are urban, narrow, and lack vegetation (e.g., those in Barcelona and Badalona), while others are semi-urban (e.g., Castelldefels and Gavà, where urban areas coexist with dunes) or natural, predominantly found in protected areas like the southern Llobregat delta.
Thematic Areas of Work:
- Ecosystem Protection: The beach and dune ecosystems provide essential coastal protection, contingent on a healthy and functioning biological community. Understanding how biodiversity is distributed and evolves within these ecosystems is crucial.
- Biodiversity Management: Enhanced knowledge of biodiversity is needed to adapt management practices for beaches and dunes effectively. Evaluating whether current actions are appropriate and what results they yield is a key focus.
- User Perception: Assessing how beach users perceive these spaces as natural areas supporting biodiversity, and how this perception evolves over time, is vital.
- Environmental Management Awareness: Raising public awareness about the environmental management of beaches is necessary for informed community involvement.
- Public Engagement: Disseminating knowledge about biodiversity to educate people of all ages is essential for promoting conservation efforts.
Cross-Sectoral Challenges:
- Urbanization and Competition for Space: The coastal area is highly urbanized and in demand by various sectors, including tourism, marinas, commercial ports, and infrastructure like airports and railways. This project aims to highlight the ecosystem value of beaches and dunes, emphasizing their biodiversity.
- Public Perception and Conservation: Balancing the perception and awareness of beach users to maintain and even expand dune areas for biodiversity, while accommodating a growing number of visitors, is challenging.
- Land Use Conflicts: There are ongoing debates about whether coastal spaces should be utilized for commercial activities (e.g., concerts, restaurants) or naturalized to enhance biodiversity. Understanding public opinion on these issues is crucial for making informed decisions.
General Objective:
To promote the conservation and sustainable management of beach and dune ecosystems by enhancing the understanding of their biodiversity, monitoring changes, and evaluating the impacts of current and future coastal management strategies.
Specific objectives include:
- Biodiversity Database: Create a comprehensive database of species found on beaches and dunes across eight municipalities within 36 months.
- Impact Analysis: Document and analyse changes in species distribution and vegetation cover resulting from management actions within 24 months.
- Invasive Species Management: Develop a list of problematic invasive species and corresponding management strategies within 24 months.
- Protected Species Conservation: Implement strategies to protect and improve populations of protected species in vulnerable areas within 24 months.
- Educational Programs: Launch public engagement initiatives to encourage participation in biodiversity data collection within 36 months.
- Visitor Perception Surveys: Conduct surveys to track visitor perceptions of beach biodiversity and ecosystem services, and disseminate findings through engaging communication materials within 24 months.
GUARDEN tools/results to be used for this case study:
1. MINKA: Using the MINKA app to upload biodiversity observations from metropolitan beaches, enabling the documentation of local flora and fauna. A dedicated project within the app has been created to consolidate all observations.
2. Pl@ntNet: Developed a plot plant protocol and uploaded observations to the Pl@ntNet platform.
3. Ecosystem Services Modelling: Continued progress on ecosystem services modelling.
4.Augmented Reality Tool: Designing an interactive interface with thematic blocks related to dune areas (e.g., invasive and native vegetation, protected fauna). This tool will be used in guided activities with schools to enhance knowledge integration.
5. Local Project BioPlatgesMet: Launched the BioPlatgesMet project to engage the local community. This includes creating a project logo and promotional materials, establishing social media profiles with Institut Metròpoli, and installing physical signs on beaches with QR codes linked to the MINKA app for public participation.
Next Steps:
- Continue progressing with the communication plan via social media to recruit and motivate more users to participate in the project.
- Organize guided activities for the upcoming 2024-2025 season.
- Further develop augmented reality tools, ecosystem services modelling, and the discussion platform created by CSIC.
