Original ArticlesThe relationship between heritage, recreational quality and geomorphological vulnerability in the coastal zone: A case study of beach systems in the Canary Islands

•This research analyzes heritage, recreational quality and vulnerability of beaches.•Beaches were analyzed as socio-ecological systems with different dimensions.•The attraction by the natural/cultural heritage for recreation generates impacts.•The processes have particularities at the different types of beach.

The relationships between geomorphological vulnerability, recreational quality and heritage at beaches in the Canary Islands (Spain) are studied using three sets of indicators. Processes and their interactions are analysed at urban, semi-urban and natural beaches. Natural, cultural and landscape heritage acts as an attractor of recreational activity, which has intensified significantly on Canarian beaches in recent decades. Overcrowding has negatively impacted conservation of the natural and cultural heritage of the beaches, and has increased human pressure, leading to an increase in geomorphological susceptibility. The resulting reduction in geomorphological resilience has had a negative impact on beach facilities. Despite this common pattern, the relationships between these processes have particularities associated with the different types of beach (urban, semi-urban and natural). In order to establish new priorities in coastal public policy, these beach diagnoses and indices should be discussed and debated by the different actors involved in beach management.