‹ Back

 

Villajoyosa to introduce sand loss monitoring system across all municipal beaches

Villajoyosa  / 28 January 2026

 

The Villajoyosa City Council will implement a new sand loss monitoring system across the municipality’s 13 beaches to track changes to the coastline and measure the impact of adverse weather events and climate change.

 

The initiative corresponds to Action 4 of the Tourism Sustainability Plan in Destination (PSTD) and represents an investment of €85,852.48, funded by the European Union through Next Generation EU funds. The project is currently out to tender and, once awarded, is expected to be completed within three months.

 

The monitoring system forms part of the “Diversification of the Tourism Offer and Sustainable Tourism Management” programme within the La Vila Joiosa Tourism Sustainability Plan. Its objective is to provide the council with digital tools to analyse beach erosion, identify trends over time and support informed decision-making to protect coastal resources.

 

Mayor Marcos Zaragoza said that recent extreme weather events underline the importance of understanding the state of local natural resources.
“Episodes such as the DANA storm, together with the effects of climate change, make it essential to assess the conservation status of our coastline and quantify the impact of these phenomena,” he stated.

 

Tourism Councillor Rosa Llorca explained that the system will enable detailed monitoring of sand loss and accumulation.
“The project will allow us to track the coastline and measure changes caused by adverse weather or climate trends, using reliable environmental data to support sustainable tourism management,” she said.

 

The system will use periodically collected satellite images, at least on a quarterly basis, to analyse variations in beach surface area and long-term erosion or recovery trends.

 

Beaches Councillor Carlos Soler confirmed that the monitoring will cover Cala Fonda, Racó de Conill, Playa del Torres, Playa del Tío Roig, Playa de los Estudiantes-Varadero, Centro, Malladeta, Paraíso, Bol Nou, Esparrelló, La Caleta and Xarco.
“The data obtained will help us identify priority areas for action, adapt resources to seasonal demand and ensure the long-term preservation of our beaches,” he said.

 

The information gathered will also be integrated into the municipality’s Plataforma Ciudad digital system, allowing data storage, analysis and future planning.

 

Mayor Zaragoza concluded:
“Our beaches are one of Villajoyosa’s greatest assets. This tool will allow us to anticipate problems, respond more effectively to storms and make decisions based on real-time data about the condition of the sand and coastline.”