Five elevated walkways will permit sand to shift freely on Marbella's Artola sand dunes, a delicate ecosystem in urgent need of protection from human activity. Walking their dogs along the beach is a favourite pastime for many people who come to the Costa del Sol to stay in their Marbella holiday homes over winter. The sand dunes at Artola are Malaga province's most important sand dune system.
Endangered Habitats
Located to the east of Marbella, the five raised wooden walkways are now open to the public. The 8-month project is nearing its end, having cost a total of 881,000 euros to complete. Some 300,000 euros alone were required for the compulsory purchase of land that surrounds the sand dunes, until recently owned by several different proprietors.
The purchase added another 15,000 square metres of natural park to the project, which will see a visitors' car park to the north of the area constructed and get an information board installed that will explain the environmental importance of Artola's sand dunes.
Led by the government's environmental department, the project included the installation of five raised wooden walkways that protect 30 hectares of dunes from erosion and 5,000 square metres of invasive species, such as reeds and mimosa.
Because the sand must be allowed to shift freely so that delicate habitats and ecosystems can be maintained, the walkways had to be raised. Beachgoers trampling across the dunes were destroying the habitats of various species only found in sand dune ecosystems at an alarming rate. Walkers had forged more than 100 informal trails through the sand dunes in order to gain access to the beaches.
The ecosystem was further threatened by a beach bar, which had water pipes and electricity installed and created a large promenade. This prevented the area's indigenous species to flourish.
Maite Villatoro, who is the Technical Director for the sand dunes project, explained that the purpose of the walkways is to curb the criss-crossing of the sand dunes and to control the footfall. Posters will be put up that will explain to people what the project aims to achieve and why it is so important that the walkways are used and not the informal tracks.
The sand dunes, so Villatoro said, should "be left do their work correctly and be persevered for many years to come."
Preserving the natural Beauty of Eastern Marbella
Brimming with golf courses, restaurants and plenty of good shops, the eastern part of Marbella is a firm favourite with families looking for holiday homes and relocation properties. Areas like Elviria for example are not just affordable, they are close to beach and golf courses, shopping and family attractions. Around 250,000 euros will buy a spacious 2-bed, 2-bath apartment, key-ready, and within a few steps of the beach.
In the recent past little if any attention was paid to the Costa del Sol's unique ecosystems, but the enormous influx of tourists, coupled with the property crash, have prompted politicians, developers and estate agents to look far more closely at what buyers actually want. Invariably, its the sun and stunning natural beauty that buyers are looking for - let's face it, they could be spending their 250,000 euros in Berlin, where property is still very reasonable, given it's one of Europe's most exciting cities. But buyers don't want to live in an urban sprawl when they come to stay in their Marbella holiday homes - they are looking for sand, beach, sea, pine forests and olive groves.
Preserving the ecosystems of Marbella's eastern side is the first step towards a more eco-friendly approach to new development projects along the Costa del Sol.