In Spain, the Coast Day celebration was closely linked with the CAMP Levante de Almería Project, and the main activities were implemented in the CAMP area. The celebration did not take place only on September 25 but throughout the months of September and October 2011. There were a series of parallel activities to raise awareness and encourage environmental participation, with thematic meetings and encounters to bring Integrated Coastal Zone Management closer to the municipalities which form part of the CAMP Levante de Almería Project.
Some activities were implemented with environmental volunteers. On September 16 a panel was organised on the “Trash Free Seas: 2011 International Coastal Cleanup” Project, involving volunteers from all over the world to raise awareness about the global problem of marine debris. Three days later, cleaning of beaches and sea beds was organised at various locations in the Cabo de Gata –Níjar Biosphere Reserve, as well as an awareness-raising campaign, environmental education and open-air theatre in San Miguel de Cabo de Gata, as part of the campaign to disseminate good practices for sea and beach users.
A series of discussions and lectures were organised between September 22 and October 15 at various locations on relevant topics: Socio-economic evolution and its impact on coastal ecosystems in the Levante de Almería area. Future challenges; New challenges for public participation. The specific case of Water Management; The challenges of global change for the conservation of biodiversity in the Mediterranean; Coastal dynamics, human intervention and the land-sea public domain; The coastal economy: sustainable or sustained?
On September 23-24, a meeting was organised on the diffusion of best practices in the fishing sector.
An activity that attracted considerable attention was photography contest. The topic was “The Coast of Levante de Almería: a Coast which is Healthy, Productive, Unique and Sustainable”. Entries could be submitted between August 26 and October 14. Four prizes were envisaged: 1st prize; best landscape photograph; best photograph representing ethnographic or cultural heritage, or a form of life; best photograph showing best practices in the Levante de Almería area.
A number of activities in the nature were organised, such as introduction to diving for persons with physical disabilities or learning difficulties, night-time walks at Cabo de Gata, and environmental education for secondary school students.