STORY: Spain deploys drones to protect beaches from climate change
DATELINE: Aug. 8, 2023
LENGTH: 00:01:06
LOCATION: BARCELONA, Spain
CATEGORY: SOCIETY/TECHNOLOGY
 
SHOTLIST:
1. various of the coast of Barcelona, Spain (courtesy of Town Council of Calafell, northeastern Spain)
2. various of the coast of Calafell in northeastern Spain (courtesy of Town Council of Calafell, northeastern Spain)
 
STORYLINE:
 
Drones are being deployed in parts of Spain to protect the country's beaches from the impact of climate change.
 
As a major global tourist destination, Spain's beaches represent some of its most important assets.
 
To help preserve them, drones equipped with high-resolution cameras and multispectral sensors are now being used to monitor sand volume, collect data, and track the impact of beach regeneration measures.
 
The seaside town of Calafell, in Spain's northeastern region of Catalonia, is participating in the EU's Impetus project for climate change adaptation measures.
 
Drones are being used in Calafell to regenerate the local dune system, and make the town's 4.2 kilometers of beaches more resistant to erosion from bad weather.
 
"Significant improvement is already being observed on the beaches, which withstand storms better," said Calafell's Councilor of Urban Ecology, Aron Marcos.
 
The project will continue until 2025, and recommendations on how to regenerate dune systems could be extended to the entire Mediterranean coast, one of the seven regions covered by the Impetus program.
 
Xinhua News Agency correspondents reporting from Barcelona, Spain.
(XHTV)