The case of the Aznalcَllar mine and its impacts on coastal activities in Southern Spain

This study analyzes the incident involving the accidental spill of toxic substances from the mining dam of Aznalcَllar and the immediate and long-term effects on the coastal ecosystems and the coastal-marine socioeconomic activities (fishing, mariculture, tourism and marine protected areas). The paper also evaluates the performance of each of the actors involved in the process: the authorities (both national and regional), the fishing sector, the tourism sector, the scientific community, the environmentalists, the mass media, and the mining company. The relevance of this case study lies, firstly, in the fact that the Aznalcَllar incident was one of the most ecologically catastrophic accidents in Europe during the last two decades of the 20th Century. It has had very important consequences from environmental, socioeconomic, political, and legal perspectives. The current productive model that this case study documents is unsustainable, environmentally incompatible, and socially unbalanced. The case of Aznalcَllar is a good case for reflection about integrated environmental management, given the potential and actual ecological damage.