Changes in coastal dune systems on the Catalan shoreline (Spain, NW Mediterranean Sea). Comparing dune landscapes between 1890 and 1960 with their current status

Land cover changes surrounding the beaches show that dune habitats have been drastically reduced due to human pressure, especially urbanization and tourism-related processes. A multiple correspondence analysis (MCA) has shown that the dune systems that have disappeared are located in non-protected areas and low-lying coastal zones, whereas dunes that have become smaller in size or undergone few changes are located in protected natural areas and on cliffed coasts.