Globally, the coast is undergoing a process of degradation, due to increased population, increased demand... » More

  

Globally, the coast is undergoing a process of degradation, due to increased population, increased demand for its resources and the uncontrolled urban development (Schlacher et al., 2008). This degradation is noticeable along of Andalusian coast where it has given priority to tourist development as the main engine of the economy of the community. Such use has a direct impact on invertebrates species inhabiting the beaches, and an indirect impact on wildlife (birds and fish), which use invertebrates as food source (Goss-Custard, 1983).

 

This study contributes to knowledge of beach environmental conditions and the effect that tourism has on macrofaunal communities on a beach of Western Andalusia. We selected a beach with a tourist gradient: Valdelagrana-Levante (Puerto de Santa María, Cádiz) where physical characteristics and invertebrate communities were determined in two seasons (summer and winter).  The relationship between macrofaunal communities composition and the different occupation degree of beaches studied was determined too. It was shown that macrofaunal communities are affected by tourism with differences between both beaches over two seasons.

 

 

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