A coalition of mayors from the Costa del Sol and Campo de Gibraltar have warned of an ‘environmental catastrophe’ due to the growing threat of an invasive algae along southern Spain’s beaches.
In an emergency meeting on Thursday, they called on the central government to intervene in the worsening spread of Rugulopteryx okamurae, an invasive Asian seaweed.
The leaders of Marbella, Estepona, Fuengirola, Mijas, Torremolinos, Algeciras and Cadiz met in Marbella on Thursday to demand urgent action and financial support from Madrid – as local councils continue to shoulder the growing costs of algae removal.
Marbella Mayor Angeles Muñoz didn’t hold back, branding the invasion an ‘environmental catastrophe’ and blasting the lack of help from the capital.
‘The City Council alone cannot cope with providing a solution to the problem we are facing,’ she said.
Marbella has already cleared 4,500 tonnes of algae in the first half of 2025, up from 2,500 in 2024. Since 2019, that figure has hit 10,530 tonnes, costing the town over €1.2million in removal and treatment.
‘This has been done without any support, any roadmap, or any financial backing from any other administration,’ she added, noting the seaweed’s damaging impact on beaches, the economy, fishing and tourism.
Its presence leaves ‘an absolutely lamentable image’ on the coast, she warned.
‘We will not allow circumstances like the ones we are experiencing to escalate,’ Muñoz said.
‘Since we are seeing that the only ones putting resources and solutions on the table are the city councils, what we do not want is for tourist cities that need to maintain an image to find themselves year after year facing a situation without any roadmap from the person primarily responsible, the central government.’
The mayors are now calling on Madrid to fund comprehensive studies into the algae’s origins and behaviour, and to clearly define the best stage for its removal, whether at sea or onshore.
Crucially, they want financial compensation for the costs local administrations are already bearing. Muñoz demanded the government ‘provide the necessary budget’.
Fuengirola’s mayor Ana Mula underlined the State’s responsibility in tackling the issue at its source: ‘It is produced in the sea and is the responsibility of the State.’
Her town has been less affected so far due to its rockier seabed, but she warned of the algae’s rapid expansion.
She said: ‘We do not rule out that next year, if no action is taken, we will have the same problem on the same scale.’
Estepona Mayor Jose María Garcia Urbano urged Madrid not to turn a blind eye, adding: ‘We ask the Spanish Government to act, to not remain permanently inactive, to not think that the problem is not its own, but rather that of all the municipalities.’
He called for ‘the necessary environmental and other studies’ and said the FEMP will continue to press the case.
Meanwhile, Mijas Mayor Ana Mata revealed her municipality spent nearly €800,000 last year removing the algae.
She said the severity of impact varies with the wind, but made clear her town is already going all in.
She added: ‘Every means at our disposal is being used to ensure the beaches are clean and can be enjoyed as freely as possible.’
