The artificial reef will be created off Nerja's El Playazo beach E. Cabezas

Nerja looks to create artificial reef off El Playazo beach

Mayor José Alberto Armijo said the planned project "will place Nerja as a benchmark in sustainability and ecotourism on the Costa del Sol and will complement the town's tourism offer"

Eugenio Cabezas

Friday, 14 April 2023, 08:55

Nerja town hall is looking into the idea of creating an area with artificial reefs off El Playazo beach. The initiative aims to regenerate the seabed and the recovery of species and at the same time promotes the concept of sustainable tourism.

The draft project, drawn up by the company Tecnoambiente Andalucía and the NGO Equilibrio Marino, was presented at the town hall recently. If the project goes ahead, it will be created off El Playazo beach, at a depth of between 15 and 20 metres, with a surface area of 3,000 square metres. It will contain six themed areas inspired by Mediterranean cultures.

"We are taking an important step towards the blue economy," said the mayor of Nerja, José Alberto Armijo in a statement stressing that this project "will place Nerja as a benchmark in sustainability and ecotourism on the Costa del Sol and will complement our tourism offer".

Analysis

The reef, of which no further information has been provided about its cost or expected timeframe, is linked to the Mar de Nerja project, which was also presented recently. The councillor for the Environment, Javier Rodríguez, explained that an analysis of the ecosystems has been carried out in order to gain an in-depth knowledge of the marine life and evaluate the state of conservation.

"From the project presented to us by the NGO Equilibro Marino, it is clear that Nerja offers the greatest potential on the Costa del Sol for developing ecotourism activities, including diving, so the construction of a reef will be a success," said the councillor.