The coast spanning the three provinces of the Valencian Community stretches for 470 kilometers, representing one quarter of the entire Mediterranean shoreline on the peninsula and about 6.2 percent of Spain’s coastline. It hosts 270 kilometers of beaches, more than half the length of a coastline where 80 percent of the population lives and where up to 15 percent of the regional GDP is generated. This economic significance mirrors the social, cultural, environmental, and landscape values that define the territory and shape its character.
The multifaceted importance of the coastline makes this area a highly strategic resource tied to its identity. It is impossible to understand Valencian culture and history without acknowledging the coast and the Mediterranean Sea. The Valencian coastline is a major source of economic wealth and employment, with tourism, fishing, port activities, and a broad array of economy sectors closely linked to the sea driving much of the region’s prosperity.
The Minister of Environment, Water, Infrastructure, and Territory, Salomé Pradas, emphasizes that these three aspects—natural, social, and economic—converge in the Valencian Community in a way that is distinct from the rest of Spain. This is the foremost reason for enacting a Valencia-specific coastal law to ensure a balance among these perspectives. The objective is to preserve natural values, safeguard regional coastal identity, and enable all economic activities that generate employment and wealth to operate in the most effective and efficient manner possible, she notes.
The coastal retreat in Valencia has progressed over decades due to a combination of factors, with climate change playing a central role, along with gaps in restoration efforts that have accelerated deterioration. The very morphology of the Valencian coast—long stretches of flat, exposed shoreline—differs substantially from the Cantabrian or Atlantic coasts. While sharing obvious traits with other Mediterranean coasts, Valencia’s shoreline features numerous peculiarities compared to other littoral regions around the Mediterranean basin.
All these reasons have driven the Valencian government, led by a council presidency, to craft a Law on the Protection and Planning of the Valencian Coast. The aim is for the regional government to assume responsibility for coastal management and to do so in a way that makes land use, activities, and human settlement compatible with environmental protection.
Autonomous management is seen as the most suitable framework for coordinating coastal planning. Just as it is for territorial planning, it ensures that space management is realistic, reasonable, and effective; it enables coherent, regionally tailored coastal planning that respects the uniqueness of the Valencian coast, while avoiding any overlap with state jurisdiction over maritime-terrestrial domains.
Furthermore, the regional norm would complement national legislation, providing the necessary safeguards and adaptations to address emerging risks. For the same reasons, the forthcoming regulation—currently in the public consultation phase—actively involves coastal municipalities, who are the closest stewards of the coastline. They should not be ignored by the rules that regulate the coast; they must be active participants in its management and protection.
The current and future state of the Valencian coast, with an emphasis on sustainable conservation, is critical and will become even more so in the coming decades. As a result, the Valencian Community, through the legislative capacity of Les Corts, should take normative action to provide instruments that protect ecosystems, address climate change impacts, and foster sustainable development.
The forthcoming Law on the Protection and Planning of the Valencian Coast has been designed to complement national legislation rather than replace it. It does not aim to transfer competences away from existing authorities. Instead, by exercising its legitimate powers within a framework of institutional loyalty, the Generalitat intends to offer solutions in territorial planning, coastal planning, urban development, environmental protection, coastal administration, and port management.