Quality of tourist beaches of northern Chile: A first approach for ecosystem-based management

Tourism focused on the “3Ss” (sun, sand and sea) has increased sharply in recent decades, which has subsequently led to the modification of natural areas of sandy beaches with the implementation of relevant infrastructure to meet the requirements and demands of beach users. Although the development of infrastructure and tourist services has increased for the beaches in northern Chile associated with coastal urban centers, these beaches have not implemented strategies to evaluate and help guide sustainable use. We used different indices to describe the seven state tourist beaches of the Región de Coquimbo. For most of the beaches, based on the Conservation Index (CI) and the Recreation Index (IR), a priority use of an "intensely recreational" character was recommended because of the low potential for conservation. Similarly, most of the beaches showed high levels of urbanization (IU). According to the Beach Quality Index (BQI), the quality of the beaches was assessed at an intermediate level. The application of these indices identified shortcomings in the levels of tourism infrastructure and security offered to users. The function of beaches to protect against natural events was extremely poor, likely because of changes to the beach dune ridges. The incorporation of assessment tools that integrate different indicators to help organize information, prioritize actions, and facilitate decision-making in the sustainable management of tourist beaches is strongly recommended for northern Chile.