BLUE FLAG BEACHES

Why Are The Cleanest Beaches in The World in Trouble?

The Blue Flag is one of the world's most recognized voluntary eco-labels awarded to beaches, marinas and sustainable boating tourism operators. To qualify for a Blue Flag, a series of stringent environmental, educational, safety and accessibility criteria must be fulfilled and maintained. In short 'Blue Flag', means that they are clean, safe and ideal for swimming. The Blue Flag is a trademark owned by FEE the Foundation for Environmental Education which is a not-for-profit non-governmental organization consisting of 65 organizations in 60 member countries. Spain( Europe),Turkey(Africa),South Africa, Morocco (Africa), Tunisia (Africa), Greece (Europe),Mozambique (Africa), New Zealand, Brazil (South America),and Seychelles Africa

It’s no secret that Mexican beaches are some of the best in the world, l with Mexico receiving the highest number of Blue Flag certification for beaches in North and South America. With 54 beaches and three marinas, Mexico has epitomized the global endeavors to preserve the natural environment and educate the public on the importance of protecting the environment. Mexico’s best beaches are in Riviera Nayarit

South Africa is the first country outside Europe as well as the first African country to implement the Blue Flag scheme. At the time of this posting South Africa has 84 Blue Flag beaches The Durban beachfront is definitely home to some of the best sandy beaches in South Africa. Along with the KwaZulu-Natal South Coast. Kosi Mouth takes our top honors in the far northern reaches of KwaZulu-Natal. The proximity to the Kosi Lakes with their 700-year-old fish traps, as well as the option to snorkel the Aquarium Reef makes it the perfect place

The "Blue Flag" eco- label, a voluntary ecological certification system targeting beaches and marinas throughout the world, and was attributed to12 Tunisian beaches, The most popular being Djerba Zarzis, Korba town, Korba east, southern Hammamet and northern Hammamet Mahdia is very popular as well, the beach is pristine, full of beautiful seashells, most of them are yellowish pale but with a little luck you can find some grayish black sea shells. Tunisia is the spot for sun sand, clean crystal waters and mint tea!

Because of climate change Morocco is in danger of losing a third of their beaches land space!

The coastal zone of Morocco forms the main socioeconomic areas of the country. Man made development places beaches under significant pressures, aggravated by sea-level rise and storm surges due to climate change. The gradual loss of the beaches threatens seaside tourism that plays a critical role in the local economy.

As the planet warms, seawater will expand, ice sheets will continue to melt causing what is called a blue sea event also known as an "ice-free" Arctic Ocean, or sometimes referred to as a "Blue Ocean Event'', it is often defined as "having less than 1 million square kilometers of sea ice". This causes water to warm as the dark waters absorb the sun's heat rather than reflecting it, thus water levels will rise, flooding beaches. Normally, beaches might naturally migrate inland in response, but oftentimes beaches are trapped between rising seas and structures like buildings and roads, leaving them nowhere to go.

Morocco's beaches are all about surfing. The wild and windy beaches that line the Atlantic Coast are acclaimed for their surf. Spain's beaches are expected to shrink by an average of 15 meters (50ft) by 2050 as global warming causes sea levels to creep up while stronger waves and currents eat away at the coastline. Greece is terribly exposed to coastal erosion, which is expected to profoundly change the country's coastline in the next four decades Greece boasts some of the world's favorite holiday hotspots, from Santorini to Mykonos, but they might not be the same by 2060.

Puerto Rico has seven Blue Flag beaches. They are: Boqueron Beach (Cabo Rojo), Carolina Beach, Pelicano Beach (Ponce), Punta Salinas (Toa Baja), La Monserrate (Luquillo), Sunbay Beach (Vieques), and Seven Seas (Fajardo).Puerto Rico is famous for its magnificent beaches but it is also known as the veritable “Canary in the Coalmine” when it comes to gauging the adverse effects of climate change. Since 2010 the sea level has been rising at a rate of 10 times faster than previous years! Scientists predict Puerto Rico will see a sea level rise of 22 inches by 2060. This would cause significant damage to hotels and beachfronts, which would in turn negatively impact the island’s tourism industry.