Alicante has received two black flags in Ecologistas en Acción’s 2025 environmental report, which addresses severe cases of pollution and poor environmental management. This year, the focus is on Levante Beach in Benidorm and the Mosca and Ferris Coves. The designation for Levante Beach stems from untreated sewage discharges affecting its waters, while inadequate infrastructure investments have compelled authorities to authorise controlled discharges in protected natural areas.

Furthermore, the environmental mismanagement is prominent at Cala Mosca and Cala Ferris, which had previously resisted urbanisation due to regulations such as the Land Use and Development Plan. However, the newly enacted Coastal Protection Law by the Generalitat Valenciana has raised concerns, permitting construction within one hundred metres of the shoreline, thereby undermining environmental safeguards.

Ecologistas en Acción has heavily criticised this new law in the report, stating it contributes to the negative impacts on coastal areas, exacerbated by the over-exploitation of tourism and environmental degradation caused by occurrences like intense rain. The report cautions against the increasing encroachment of private interests on public coastal spaces supported by urban development.

In total, the Comunitat Valenciana has been assigned six black flags across its provinces, signalling urgent calls for improved management and sustainable safeguarding of the coastline. The comprehensive report and associated mapping are available on the Ecologistas en Acción website, aimed at raising awareness of the critical need to protect the environment against speculation and neglect.