THE ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACTS OF LAND TRANSFORMATION IN THE COASTAL PERIMETER OF THE MAR MENOR LAGOON (SPAIN)

The Mar Menor, a coastal lagoon located in the southeast of Spain, is one of the largest lagoons on the Medi-terranean coastline. This singular area is subject to a wide range of uses, including large tourist resorts and intensive agriculture. The importance of the lagoon and its salt marshes in terms of biodiversity has been rec-ognised in numerous international protection programmes. The distinctive environment of the lagoon has long been attractive for visitors. A surge in tourist activi-ties has taken place in the area since the early 1960s, characterised by intense urban development along the lagoon’s perimeter to accommodate the growing seasonal population. This phenomenon has particularly affected La Manga, a sandy bar that is 20 km in length. La Manga acts as a barrier between the lagoon and the Mediterranean Sea, crossed by fi ve more or less functional channels called ‘golas’. The urbanization pro-cess has changed the water fl ow system between the inside and seawater through the channels. The changes have affected coastal dynamics, the longitudinal profi le of the coast and the lagoon’s ecosystem. The coastal lagoon is also highly threatened by other pollution variables derived from agricultural lands. The water derived from the Tajo-Segura transfer generated a profound land transformation of the adjacent agricultural areas, which changed from extensive dry crop farming to intensively irrigated crops, disturbing the lagoo