Ecobreves – VENEZUELA: Beaches Disappearing Due to Hotel Construction

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CARACAS, Dec 19 2011 (IPS) - El Yaque, one of the largest beaches on the south coast of Venezuela’s Margarita Island, is no longer able to replace the sand carried off by the sea because hotels and other buildings have cut off the circulation of the air currents that used to feed them, environmental activists warn. "Besides the impact of cutting off air currents, there is the impact of buildings that prevent the beach’s feedback, while the clearing of sea algae beds hinders the retention of sand," Julio Rodríguez of the Regional Center for Environmental Research told Tierramérica.

In recent years, El Yaque has lost dozens of meters of sand, he added.

The Ministries of Environment, Tourism and Transportation announced the construction of a rock barrier along the beach to reduce the effect of sea currents, and a ban on new construction in El Yaque until the erosion is remedied.

Margarita Island, in the southeastern Caribbean, is Venezuela’s largest island, with an area of 1,072 square kilometers.