Environmental alteration process of Eastern Costa del Sol: tourism as an engine of change

Abstract

Touristic development, urban growth and new production systems need various resources and infrastructure which may change natural order, altering ecosystems in the coast We have studied the Vélez river valley and its territorial dynamics within the framework of the northern coast of the Alborán Sea. It is located in the Axarquía region, composed by many small towns (except for rare cases) which have traditionally lived from agriculture and (more recently) from rural and “sun and beach” tourism. In order to support this economy, it became necessary to develop other activities which would alter the environment more directly. In this research project we will look for a solution for the mouth of river Vélez, trying to combine human presence and the preservation of the environment by means of a system which will change the current invasive tourism, to a sustainable and long-term tourism.