Every summer, alongside the Blue Flags that recognise the quality of beaches and marinas, another, less well-known distinction emerges: Black Flags. In its Black Flags 2026 report, Ecologistas en Acción analyses more than 8,000 kilometres of coastline to highlight the main environmental impacts continuing to affect Spain's coastal areas.
Follow idealista/news in Spanish on the WhatsApp channel
What is a Black Flag?
A Black Flag is not an official designation, nor does it mean that bathing is prohibited. It is an initiative launched by Ecologistas en Acción to draw attention to environmental problems and poor management practices affecting certain coastal areas.
The report has been published annually since 2005 and selects two cases in each coastal province or autonomous city. Its purpose is not to produce a ranking of the country's worst beaches, but rather to raise awareness of specific environmental concerns.
- Untreated discharges and spills
- Destruction of natural habitats
- Urban development pressure
- Industrial pollution
This classification does not necessarily imply non-compliance with official bathing water quality standards.
The main causes of the Black Flags in 2026
Discharges and deficiencies in sanitation and wastewater treatment systems remain the leading cause of Black Flags. Together, they account for 14 of the 48 cases included in this year's report.
Loss of biodiversity and coastal urbanisation also feature prominently among the most common issues identified. The report further warns about the effects of chemical pollution, tourism pressure on sensitive natural areas and the impact of certain coastal infrastructure developments.
Ecologistas en Acción notes that many of these problems are recurring and continue to appear in the report year after year.
A problem affecting the entire Spanish coastline
With 10 Black Flags, Andalusia remains the autonomous community with the most locations highlighted in the 2026 report. However, the study makes clear that environmental challenges affect the entire Spanish coastline.
Galicia, Catalonia, the Valencian Community, the Canary Islands, the Balearic Islands, Murcia, Asturias, Cantabria, the Basque Country, Ceuta and Melilla also feature in this year's report. Among the most notable cases are:
- Chemical pollution: The bay of Portmán and the Mar Menor (Murcia), the coastline of L'Ametlla de Mar (Tarragona) and the beach of Usgo (Cantabria), marked by the discharges of a nearby industry.
- Poor sanitation and sewage spills: The bay of Algeciras (Cádiz), Maro beach (Málaga), Charca de Salobreña (Granada), Albufereta (Alicante), the Huelva estuary, Cala Galdana (Menorca) and the coast of Ferrol (A Coruña).
- Urban development pressure: The Central Beach of Isla Cristina (Huelva), the actions in Vejer, Barbate and Tarifa (Cádiz), Marbella's dunes (Málaga), Los Berengueles beach in Almuñécar (Granada), Begur Mountains (Girona) or Las Teresitas (Tenerife).
The report's new key feature: proposals to recover the coastline
Alongside its assessment of environmental problems, the report includes 20 ecological restoration proposals to recover degraded coastal areas.
Among the recommended measures are:
- Restoring marshes, dunes and wetlands
- Improving wastewater treatment systems
- Reducing pollutant discharges
- Strengthening protection against coastal overdevelopment
According to Ecologistas en Acción, these proposals align with the objectives of the European Nature Restoration Regulation, which requires EU member states to restore degraded ecosystems and improve their environmental resilience.
