Nature is maybe not the first thing on many people’s minds when they visit the Costa del Sol. The beaches, the clear blue Mediterranean Sea and the picturesque backdrop of mountains are the main reference to the natural world for many, but take a deeper look and you could be surprised at the diversity of life to be seen.
Lying on the beach at the popular resort of Calahonda, which is set amongst pine trees near the picturesque marina of Puerto Cabopino, many holidaymakers are happy to just soak up the sun and maybe take a dip in the cooling waters. However, for them it might be a rewarding investment to buy a snorkel and mask, and peer beneath the waves rather than float on top of them, for the sea off Calahonda beach has just been declared a Special Conservation Zone (ZEC).
Surprisingly, considering its distance from Gibraltar, where the Atlantic Ocean and Mediterranean Sea meet, the two bodies of water actually mingle as far as Calahonda as the Atlantic waters remain at the top until they eventually blend in with the saltier Mediterranean.
This confluence of two quite distinct environments means that the sea off Calahonda has an ecosystem where the cold ocean and warmer seawater combine to produce a rich and varied flora and fauna. Uniquely, species from the Mediterranean, Atlantic and North Africa can all be found thriving off this spot, which is recognised as an important nursery for many marine creatures.
The reefs and seagrass meadows to be found off the coast here are seen as particularly important breeding and feeding grounds for numerous species of fish and marine fauna, which is why 1,404 hectares of the area have been declared a ZEC.
It brings the total area of such zones in Andalucía to 37,352 hectares, all of which form part of the European Red Natura 2000 project. The aim of these wildlife havens is to help the recovery and sustainability of species that have been getting ever rarer due to commercial exploitation, pollution and other environmental factors.
For those concerned with the natural world there is good news when it was revealed that exploratory drilling for gas and oil close to this very area was to be discontinued, thus boosting the protection of the natural environment of the region.