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Lost and preserved coastal landforms after urban growth. The case of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria city (Canary Islands, Spain)

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Abstract

Coastal geomorphological systems have undergone major changes in recent decades as a result of both natural and anthropic phenomena, with the growth of urban tourism having one of the biggest impacts. This has been the case of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria city (Canary Islands, Spain), which has expanded considerably since the late nineteenth century. The objective of this work is to identify the coastal landforms that existed in the city environment before 1879 and evaluate the extent to which they have been preserved or lost because of urban expansion on five dates (1879, 1954, 1966, 1981 and 2018). This evaluation was made possible through the integration, in a geographic information system, of information from historical and current documents, both cartographic and photographic, and from oral sources and field data. The results of the study reveal that 848.1 ha of the initial coastal landforms have been lost, with only 16.7% of the area they occupied remaining. The landforms that have experienced the most losses have been the aeolian sedimentary systems, which have totally disappeared since 1981. The least altered have been calcarenitic reefs, coastal active cliffs and sandy beaches. The land uses of the occupied coastal landforms, from highest to lowest, are: residential and tourist, road infrastructure, public spaces and green areas, port, facilities and industrial. The academic, social, educational and urban planning interests of this research are addressed in the discussion.

Highlights

• Identification of the coastal landforms that existed in LPGC city before 1879.

• Evaluation of preserved vs. lost landforms areas because of urban expansion.

• Loss of 848.1 ha (83.2%) of the initial coastal landforms.

• Preservation of 170.2 ha (16.7%) of the original landforms.

• Results of interest for academic, social, educational and urban planning.

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Availability of data and material

The geomorphological map and data that support the findings of this study are available from the corresponding author upon reasonable request. The ortophotos and topographic maps and data are available in the SDI of GRAFCAN, S.A.-Canary Islands Government at https://www.idecanarias.es/ and in the SDI of the Cabildo de Gran Canaria at https://www.idegrancanaria.es/. The geological map and data are available in the SDI of the Spanish National Geographic Institute (IGN) at http://mapas.igme.es/Servicios/default.aspx. The land use data are available in the SDI of the Spanish National Geographic Institute (IGN) at https://www.ign.es/web/ign/portal/cbg-area-cartografia.

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Acknowledgments

This work is a contribution to the CSO2013-43256-R and CSO2016-79673-R projects of the Spanish National Plan for R + D + i (innovation), co-financed with ERDF funds. The first author was supported by an FPI-PhD grant from the ACIISI - Gobierno de Canarias (TESIS2017010042), also co-financed with ERDF funds. It was completed while working as a PhD student in the IOCAG PhD Program in Oceanography and Global Change. This article is a publication of the Unidad Océano y Clima of the Universidad de Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, an R&D&i CSIC-associate unit.

Funding

This work is a contribution to the CSO2013–43256-R and CSO2016–79673-R projects of the Spanish National Plan for R + D + i (innovation), co-financed with ERDF funds. The first author was supported by an FPI-PhD grant from the ACIISI - Gobierno de Canarias (TESIS2017010042), also co-financed with ERDF funds. It was completed while working as a PhD student in the IOCAG PhD Program in Oceanography and Global Change. This article is a publication of the Unidad Océano y Clima of the Universidad de Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, an R&D&i CSIC-associate unit.

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  1. Grupo de Investigación de Geografía Física y Medio Ambiente. Instituto de Oceanografía y Cambio Global, IOCAG. Universidad de Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, Unidad Asociada ULPGC-CSIC. Spain. Parque Científico Tecnológico Marino de Taliarte, s/n, 35214 Telde, Las Palmas, Spain

    Eva Pérez-Hernández, Nicolás Ferrer-Valero & Luis Hernández-Calvento

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  1. Eva Pérez-Hernández
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Correspondence to Eva Pérez-Hernández.

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Manuscript title: Lost and preserved coastal landforms after urban growth. The case of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria city (Canary Islands, Spain).

The authors whose names are listed immediately below certify that they have NO affiliations with or involvement in any organization or entity with any financial interest (such as honoraria; educational grants; participation in speakers’ bureaus; membership, employment, consultancies, stock ownership, or other equity interest; and expert testimony or patent-licensing arrangements), or non-financial interest (such as personal or professional relationships, affiliations, knowledge or beliefs) in the subject matter or materials discussed in this manuscript. Author names: 1) Eva Pérez-Hernández; 2) Nicolás Ferrer-Valero and 3) Luis Hernández-Calvento.

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Pérez-Hernández, E., Ferrer-Valero, N. & Hernández-Calvento, L. Lost and preserved coastal landforms after urban growth. The case of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria city (Canary Islands, Spain). J Coast Conserv 24, 26 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11852-020-00743-x

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