Spiaggia La Pelosa.
“6,000 people are no longer sustainable” , these were the words of the mayor of Stintino Antonio Diana on the situation in which his most iconic beach lives.
Spiaggia La Pelosa is the tourist jewel of Sardinia, a tropical paradise of white sand and turquoise waters that has paid dearly for its beauty... It can't stand the tourist pressure for another summer.
If they want to guarantee their survival for at least the next 500 years, they have to take drastic measures. Despite being under surveillance for many years, it is now that it has been decided to put into practice some measures that at the moment it is not known if they will be effective.
This volume of tourism is no longer sustainable.
What is the disease you have? The erosion and the anthropogenic overload seem to be the cause of its degradation. The wind, the tides and the thousands of people who visit it daily have caused serious alterations in its ecosystem; causing the strip of white sand to have been reduced over time.
Tourists stepped on the dunes and took the sand with them without knowing it , and others knowingly -in fact a couple was fined 500 euros this summer for taking dirt from the beach-.
But it was not only the fault of the unbridled tourism, but also of the decisions of the authorities. As stated by CNN, a path that was built in the 50s through the dunes has been demolished, as well as private gardens in the area. Asphalt and cement will be replaced by wood.
The challenge for 2020 will be to create other new access points as well as try to protect the environment as much as possible.
The University of Sassari is the one that is carrying out this experimental project that aims to study the microbial diversity of the beach, using molecular technologies. This is stated by the newspaper Corriere Della Sera, which also confirms that they are investing 18 million euros to protect it.
MEASURES
Starting this month, the capacity will be limited to 1,500 bathers per day. Each of them, except children, will have to pay about 4 euros, although they have not confirmed the exact price. The fertilizer will be used to guarantee the safety of the environment and its maintenance.
And there will be more measures. For example, smoking will be prohibited on the beach , take shells and sand, mats are also prohibited, street vending, the use of soaps, detergents and plastics , just as bathers will be forced to rinse their feet before entering certain areas of the beach.
The fines for not complying with the rules could reach 500 euros and Sardinia is already studying applying them in other of its beaches.