Blue Flags
We take up the Mediterranean sea for a banner.
Since 1985, the Blue Flag waves over beaches with high standards or water, environmental management and excellence in services and information, which means a seal of warranty for bathers and a worldwide recognition. Mazarrón has the Blue Flag distinction in five beaches.
Blue Flag as the oldest, most recognised and recognisable award for beaches and harbours worldwide.
The Blue Flag was created in 1985 by the French branch of the FEE as a national award for marinas and boats, distinguishing from a distance those who love and protect the marine environment. Originally, the Blue Flag logo was inspired by that of another parallel initiative of that time, ‘Message to the Sea’, on marine environmental issues.
In 1987, Blue Flag already exists in France, Spain, Denmark and Portugal as an environmental education programme for beaches and marinas, coordinated by the FEEE (Foundation for Environmental Education in Europe). This year, proclaimed European Year of the Environment, the European Commission supports the extension of the Blue Flag to the rest of the European coastal countries, under the title: Clean Beaches and Ports of Europe”.
Its intention is to stimulate compliance with the EU Bathing Water Quality Directive, which has not been complied with almost everywhere, ten years after its approval. To this end, FEE identifies in each of the countries where there is not yet an NGO in charge of the programme. In Spain, this NGO is ADEAC (Asociación de Educación Ambiental y del Consumidor), already a member of FEE since its creation in 1984..
The success of the call motivates the Commission to extend its financial and technical support to Blue Flag over the next 11 years. The success of the call motivates the Commission to extend its financial and technical support to Blue Flag over the next 11 years.
Blue Flag becomes an international programme at the turn of the century.
In 2001, South Africa joins the Blue Flag and, in 2004, several Caribbean countries award their first Blue Flag beaches. Thus, Blue Flag starts to be present in Africa and America. The FEEE is renamed FEE as its scope no longer extends beyond the European Union but beyond the European continent.
Oceania becomes the fourth continent to be awarded the Blue Flag when a marina in New Zealand is honoured in 2005. It will not be until 2011, when Jordan joins the Blue Flag programme, that the programme will be present on all five continents.
In 2018, 45 countries, as diverse as the United Arab Emirates, Mexico or Japan, are already part of the Blue Flag, with NGOs in each country developing the programme, in addition to other international programmes of the FEE such as Eco-Schools, Green Key, Forests in Schools or Young Reporters for the Environment.
Future expansion of the Blue Flag to other countries, such as the United States, India, Colombia or South Korea, is foreseeable.
The Blue Flag criteria are reviewed and agreed annually at international level by the National Operators.
The criteria that a Blue Flag beach must meet can be divided into four main areas:
Environmental Information and Education
There should be panels on Blue Flag beaches with information about the beach, coastal ecosystems and, where appropriate, about nearby protected natural areas, together with a code of conduct for these areas.
The municipality must organise at least five environmental education activities per year..
On a voluntary and complementary basis, Blue Flag promotes and coordinates Blue Paths and Blue Centres.
- Environmental Education Activities Programme | Mazarrón Town Council
For the year 2025, the environmental education activities planned by Mazarrón Town Council are as follows:
1.- SURESTE PROGRAMME
a. Organised by Mazarrón Town Council.
b. Its aim is to raise awareness of the environmental richness of the surroundings and respect for nature among the pupils of the municipality, which is why a programme of environmental outings adapted to the curricular contents is organised with the schools of the municipality from infant to secondary school. Visits range from beach environments to mountain areas, WWTP, etc..
2.- GUIDED TOURS PROGRAMME
a. Organised by Mazarrón Town Council.
b. Its aim is to raise awareness of the environmental wealth and the need for its conservation among the general public, especially visitors. These are developed by nature guides, with a programme of around 40 tours throughout the year, which take place in beach or mountain areas, providing information about the resources and the importance of their conservation.
3.- BEACH CLEAN-UP
a. Organised by Mazarrón Town Council together with the Chelonia Foundation. With the collaboration of IES Antonio Hellín Costa, the Regatta Club and the public cleaning company Bahía de Mazarrón Ingeniería Urbana.
Its aim is to raise awareness among pupils of the importance of marine conservation, which is why the activity is part of the ‘Mares Circulares’ programme. Talks are organised for secondary school pupils and a beach in the municipality that has remained uncleaned for several days is monitored, in order to subsequently weigh and catalogue the remains and include them in the file of this beach, which has been monitored for the last 7 years.
4.- SEABED CLEAN-UP
a. Organised by the Diving Centres with the collaboration of the Mazarrón Town Council and the Marina.
b. The aim is to raise awareness of the importance of not throwing rubbish into the sea, especially in and around the harbour. To this end, the organisers will give a talk to participants and accompanying persons about the need to conserve the environment and not to litter the seabed; further cleaning of areas in the environment where they have detected traces of this rubbish ranging from nets to bicycles or household appliances.
5.- TRAINING WORKSHOP: MARINE TRACES WORKSHOP
a. Organised by Mazarrón Town Council in collaboration with ANSE, Ecoembes and SEO Birdlife.
b. The aim is to raise awareness of the traces that can be found on the beach and their significance, and what to do in the event of detecting certain traces.
Water quality
The bathing water quality at the beach, during the previous bathing season, must be excellent, at all sampling points, in accordance with the Bathing Water Quality Directive. A number of periodic water samples must be officially taken to determine this quality.
In addition, it must comply with the Urban Waste Water Treatment Directive.
Environmental management
The beach must comply with environmental legislation, in particular the Coastal Law, and must be clean and have adequate waste management, including selective collection of packaging, paper, glass, etc.
The beach should have public toilets. Urban beaches and/or at least one of the municipality’s Blue Flag beaches must have a beach adapted for people with disabilities.
Safety and services
Beaches should have easy and safe access. In addition, urban beaches must be accessible for people with disabilities.
First aid equipment must be available, as well as adequate first aid staff and equipment.
ADEAC annually inspects all beaches, ports and tourist boats awarded with the Blue Flag.
Every summer, eight inspection teams, made up of ADEAC staff and qualified volunteers, tour the coastline and inland waters, verifying compliance with the criteria on beaches and harbours that are Blue Flag or aspiring to be Blue Flag next year.
Other ADEAC programme is llaveverde.org which represents the establishments’ commitment to high standards and allows guests to contribute to improving the environment.. Llave Verde aims to raise awareness in the tourism sector (tour operators, companies, institutions, tourists, etc.) in order to achieve a change in values, attitudes and behaviour towards sustainable tourism.