The Marbella Town Hall has removed over 10,000 tonnes of invasive seaweed so far in 2026, double the amount from last year. The invasive species threatens the tourist season.
The beaches of Marbella and San Pedro Alcántara are experiencing an unprecedented invasion of invasive seaweed this summer. Municipal workers have already removed more than 10,000 tonnes of this invasive species since January, a figure that doubles the 5,300 tonnes eliminated throughout 2025. In 2024, the figure was 2,500 tonnes.
Million-euro cost for the Town Hall
The Town Hall has allocated over one million euros to cleaning efforts. The Councillor for Beaches, Diego López, describes the situation as an "environmental emergency" and warns that the problem worsens each year. "The situation is alarmingly deteriorating," he states.
The councillor calls on the central government to finance the extraordinary costs or approve a specific plan against the invasive seaweed. "The government should finance the extraordinary costs borne by the town halls or approve a plan against the invasive seaweed," López insists.
Criticism of the Andalusian Government
The local PSOE has criticized the Andalusian Government for its management. Socialist councillor Adrián Jiménez recalls that the regional government collected a tax from town halls for four years to manage this waste and then eliminated it without providing a solution. "The Junta should invest in the extraordinary expenses of the town halls against the invasive seaweed all that it has collected. It has managed poorly," Jiménez states.
The accumulation of seaweed not only spoils the image of the coastline but also generates bad odours and attracts insects as it dries. Furthermore, it reduces the sandy areas in a coastline that easily loses surface. For residents and tourists, the beach becomes a brown and foul-smelling landscape in the middle of August.
Marbella, which bases a large part of its economy on sun and beach tourism, sees how the invasion of invasive seaweed jeopardises the summer season. The Town Hall insists that it urgently needs help from other administrations to tackle a problem that exceeds its resources.
"The situation is alarmingly deteriorating. This is an environmental emergency," states the Councillor for Beaches, Diego López.
The invasive seaweed, originating from the Pacific Ocean, arrived in the Mediterranean years ago and has become a plague that is difficult to eradicate. In Marbella, the 27 kilometres of coastline are affected, and workers are tirelessly trying to keep the beaches in minimal condition.
Meanwhile, the political debate focuses on who should bear the costs: the central government, the Junta, or the town halls themselves. For now, the Marbella Town Hall continues to invest its own funds and hopes that higher administrations will take action before the summer turns into a tourist disaster.
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