EU SAYS BALEARICS AT HIGH RISK OF EROSION

Joan Collins THE European Commission has included the Balearics in the coastal erosion map within the “high exposure” category. The threat of coastal erosion led the European Parliament and the European Commission to undertake a study of the size of the problem within the EU, to quantify the extent of this phenomenon and to evaluate whether it is a problem of growing intensity requiring intervention. The production of the study, called “Eurosion”, took two years and was directed by the EU Director General for the Environment. “Eurosion” based its classifications on a total of 13 indicators: 9 indicators of state and pressure (sensitivity), and 4 of impact. The indicators of state and pressure offer a quantative evaluation of the different factors which characterise or accentuate the process of coastal erosion. These factors include: a rise in sea level, the instability of the coastline, a change in the patterns of erosion during the last 15 years, a higher sea level, the growth of urban areas between 1975 and 1990 (the Balearics are a prime example of this), a reduction in the river beds, the susceptability of the geological substrata to erosion, and engineering works on the coast. Coastal erosion consists of the loss of ground to the sea, the destruction of coastal defences (generally of dune systems), and the deterioration of coastal protection works (leading to flooding). Coastal erosion is caused by a combination of different factors, of both natural and human origin: wind, storms, coastal currents, the relative rise in sea level, coastal works, loss of ground to the sea, interfering with the natural flow of rivers, dredging operations, clearing of vegetation, gas operations and the extraction of water. The “Eurosion” study has established four levels of exposure to coastal erosion: very high, high, moderate and low. This does not include the areas where they still have relatively little information. The report has included the Balearics in the “high” exposure category. In the areas which have a “very high” or “high” exposure risk, the European report warns that the reduction of coastal deposits and the reduction of space on coastal areas is causing a situation of “coastal stress”. “Eurosion” also says that the existing studies on environmental impact do not adequately analyse the erosion of the coasts and that traditional methods for fighting it could be counterproductive.