In the framework of the European Commission funded SMAP III program, a pilot project dealing with the development of a Plan of Action for integrated coastal zones management in the province of Nador, Morocco, was implemented (2006-2009), by an International consortium with the local coordination of Ecole Nationale Forestiere d’Ingénieurs. The overall goal of the project was to contribute towards resolving conflict between different actors and developing ‘win-win’ situations for the prevailing conservation and economic activities. Local beaches which are mostly composed of sand are among the main attractions of holiday tourists to the area. This paper covers investigations of scenic quality evaluation and the application of the Bathing Area Registration and Evaluation technique (BARE) for the bathing area classification of 20 beaches in Nador province. Among the beaches studied, 17 are rural/remote areas, two are ‘resort’ and one is a ‘village’ place. Coastal Scenic Evaluation (CSE) criteria was used to assess scenic quality and identify places of highest tourist potential and application of the BARE technique was used to evaluate beaches with reference to a wide variety of beach types and beach user’s preference and priorities. Five parameters (safety, water quality criteria, availability of facilities, hinterland scenery, litter) were evaluated by the BARE and each one was rated from A to D. Based on integration of the rating scores for the five parameters, an overall Bathing Area Classification which also takes into account beach type sensitivity, was derived based on criteria awarding 1 – 5 Star classification. The presence and abundance of litter in all sites brought down their star ratings. On the CSE scale, litter has high priority and the litter found adversely affected the quality value. This classification identified only one first Class site, but many others could be improved by ensuring that the beaches were cleaned litter.
[1]
Anton Micallef,et al.
Andalusia, Spain: An Assessment of Coastal Scenery
,
2012
.
[2]
M. Phillips,et al.
Disappearing Destinations: Climate Change and Future Challenges for Coastal Tourism
,
2010
.
[3]
Aysen Ergin,et al.
A new methodology for evaluating coastal scenery: fuzzy logic systems
,
2004
.
[4]
A. Williams,et al.
Application of a Novel Bathing Area Evaluation Technique—a case study of Croatian Island beaches
,
2004
.
[5]
A. Williams,et al.
Theoretical strategy considerations for beach management
,
2002
.
[6]
A. Williams,et al.
Beach awards and rating systems
,
1996
.
[7]
R. Morgan,et al.
Opinions and perceptions of England and Wales heritage coast beach users: some management implications from the Glamorgan Heritage Coast, Wales
,
1993
.
[8]
L. B. Leopold.
Quantitative comparison of some aesthetic factors among rivers
,
1969
.