Urbanisation and tourism in the Campo Cartagena-Mar Menor area (Murcia, Spain). Impact on soil sealing

The building boom (1998-2007) that took place along the Mediterranean coast of Spain, where the Region of Murcia is situated, produced an enormous increase in the extent and number of built-up areas, partly as a consequence of the demand on the part of retired people (mainly from the north of Europe) drawn, amongst other factors, by the climate. Indeed, the number of this type of resident increased 7.5-fold between 1991 and 20112 (Membrado Tena, 2015). Among the regions affected along the Spanish Mediterranean coast is the administrative area known as the “Comarca del Campo de Cartagena Mar Menor” (CCCMM), where the change from the classic “sun and beach” tourism to residential tourism is evident. The result here and in other areas along the coast is a radical transformation of the landscape. The absence of any planning and the rapid way in which such tourism has extended has hade a strong environmental impact. Some of the most negative consequences have been changes in soil use (IGN, 2006; Burriel, 2008; Gaja, 2008; Romero 2010; Rullán, 2011; the destruction of the landscape; drought in regions with water shortage (Vera, 2006); artificial soil sealing, with the consequent increase of flood risk. The area analysed is one of the most important tourism attractions of the province of Murcia due to its climatic characteristics, natural spaces and recreational potential. It is also an area where second homes have been built since the mid 1970s, especially around the Mar Menor lagoon.

Data and Resources

Cite as

Díaz AR Pedraza AC Morales AP. Urbanisation and tourism in the Campo Cartagena-Mar Menor area (Murcia Spain). Impact on soil sealing. Universidad de Murcia, 2017.

Clipboard Icon
Retrieved: 07 Nov 2025 19:36:09

Metadata
Download
DCAT-AP/NTI-RISP

Basic information
Resource type Article
Date of creation 2024-11-05
Date of last revision 2024-11-05
Show changelog
Metadata identifier e37c406c-b85f-5368-a2da-4d65ceeaf283
Metadata language Spanish
Themes (NTI-RISP)
High-value dataset category Earth observation and environment
ISO 19115 topic category biota
Keyword URIs
Bibliographic information
Name of the dataset creator Díaz, AR, Pedraza, AC, Morales, AP
Name of the dataset editor Universidad de Murcia
Other identifier ISSN: 1139-7861
Identifier of the dataset creator
Email of the dataset creator arodi@um.es
Website of the dataset creator
Provenance
Lineage statement
Metadata Standard
Version notes
Version