The
Blue Flag is an award that is given to
beaches and
marinas that
have met stringent standards. The exclusive ‘eco-label’ is awarded
on an annual basis to beaches and marinas around the world.
The Blue Flag Programme is owned and run by the Foundation for
Environmental Education (FEE) which is a
not-for-profit,
non-governmental organisation
consisting of national member organisations representing 59
countries in
Europe,
Africa,
Oceania,
Asia,
North America and
South America.
Compliance with Blue Flag criteria requires adherence to strict
water quality standards, safety standards, environmental education
and information, the provision of services and general
environmental management criteria,
set by the FEE.
In the
European Union, the water
quality standards are enshrined in the
EC Bathing Waters
Directive.
The right to fly a Blue Flag at a beach or a marina is a strong
indication of high environmental standards and is a much sought
after accolade around the world.
The awards
are announced yearly on 5 June for Europe, Canada, Morocco, Tunisia
and other countries in a similar geographic location, and on 1
November for the Caribbean, New Zealand, South Africa and other
countries in the southern hemisphere
.
Blue Flags Awarded
2009 Awards
As a result of the 2009 awards (currently 2008 for northern
hemisphere) a total of 3,355 Blue Flags are waving around the
world: 2,723 beaches and 632 Marinas.
2009 Top places
Consistently in the past few years Spain
has topped
the list for the most Blue Flags awarded, with Greece
coming
second (like in 2008) and France
in the third
place.
Cyprus
with 53 Blue
Flag beaches has three records:
- the most Blue Flags per capita in the world
- the most dense concentration of Blue Flag Beaches
- the most Blue Flag beaches and per coastline length in the
whole world.
Table of Blue Flags in force 2009
The table below lists the Blue Flags (both for beaches and marinas)
awarded and in force today.The table can be sorted to show the
total number of Blue Flags per country and also the number of Blue
Flags per population, per area or per the length of the coastline
of each country.
| Country |
Blue Flag Beaches |
Blue Flag Marinas |
Total Blue Flags |
Population |
Area (km2)]] |
Coastline (km) [210626] |
Blue Flag Beaches per 1,000,000 Population |
Total Blue Flags per 1,000,000 Population |
Blue Flag Beaches Density per 10,000 km2
Area |
Total Blue Flags Density per per 10,000 km2
Area |
Blue Flag Beaches per 100 km coastline |
|
0 |
3 |
3 |
342,000 |
13,943 |
3542 |
0.00 |
8.77 |
0.00 |
2.15 |
0.00 |
|
5 |
8 |
13 |
10,754,528 |
30,528 |
67 |
0.46 |
1.21 |
1.64 |
4.26 |
7.46 |
|
7 |
1 |
8 |
7,606,551 |
110,879 |
354 |
0.92 |
1.05 |
0.63 |
0.72 |
1.98 |
|
4 |
3 |
7 |
33,738,000 |
9,984,670 |
202,080 |
0.12 |
0.21 |
0.00 |
0.01 |
0.00 |
|
114 |
20 |
134 |
4,435,056 |
56,594 |
5,835 |
25.70 |
30.21 |
20.14 |
23.68 |
1.95 |
|
53 |
0 |
53 |
801,600 |
9,251 |
648 |
66.12 |
66.12 |
57.29 |
57.29 |
8.18 |
|
209 |
68 |
277 |
5,515,287 |
43,094 |
7,314 |
37.89 |
50.22 |
48.50 |
64.28 |
2.86 |
|
7 |
0 |
7 |
10,090,000 |
48,310 |
1,288 |
0.69 |
0.69 |
1.45 |
1.45 |
0.54 |
|
0 |
23 |
23 |
5,340,806 |
338,145 |
1,250 |
0.00 |
4.31 |
0.00 |
0.68 |
0.00 |
| (inc. territories) |
285 |
74 |
359 |
65,073,482 |
632,760 |
4,668 |
4.38 |
5.52 |
4.50 |
5.67 |
6.11 |
|
39 |
115 |
154 |
82,046,000 |
357,022 |
2,389 |
0.48 |
1.88 |
1.09 |
4.31 |
1.63 |
|
425 |
8 |
433 |
11,257,285 |
131,957 |
13,676 |
37.75 |
38.46 |
32.21 |
32.81 |
3.11 |
|
2 |
5 |
7 |
319,326 |
103,000 |
4,970 |
6.26 |
21.92 |
0.19 |
0.68 |
0.04 |
|
74 |
2 |
76 |
4,422,100 |
70,273 |
1,448 |
16.73 |
17.19 |
10.53 |
10.81 |
5.11 |
|
225 |
60 |
285 |
60,067,554 |
301,318 |
7,600 |
3.75 |
4.74 |
7.47 |
9.46 |
2.96 |
|
9 |
2 |
11 |
2,257,300 |
64,589 |
498 |
3.99 |
4.87 |
1.39 |
1.70 |
1.81 |
|
5 |
0 |
5 |
3,349,872 |
65,300 |
90 |
1.49 |
1.49 |
0.77 |
0.77 |
5.56 |
|
1 |
0 |
1 |
413,627 |
316 |
197 |
2.42 |
2.42 |
31.65 |
31.65 |
0.51 |
|
19 |
0 |
19 |
624,000 |
13,812 |
294 |
30.45 |
30.45 |
13.76 |
13.76 |
6.46 |
|
16 |
0 |
16 |
31,538,660 |
446,550 |
1,835 |
0.51 |
0.51 |
0.36 |
0.36 |
0.87 |
|
41 |
65 |
106 |
16,525,751 |
41,543 |
815 |
2.48 |
6.41 |
9.87 |
25.52 |
5.03 |
|
2 |
1 |
3 |
4,318,700 |
270,467 |
15,134 |
0.46 |
0.69 |
0.07 |
0.11 |
0.01 |
|
3 |
8 |
11 |
4,830,000 |
323,802 |
25,148 |
0.62 |
2.28 |
0.09 |
0.34 |
0.01 |
|
5 |
4 |
9 |
38,100,700 |
312,685 |
440 |
0.13 |
0.24 |
0.16 |
0.29 |
1.14 |
(inc. Azores and
Madeira ) |
225 |
14 |
239 |
10,627,250 |
92,090 |
2,753 |
21.17 |
22.49 |
24.43 |
25.95 |
8.17 |
|
5 |
2 |
7 |
3,982,000 |
8,870 |
501 |
1.26 |
1.76 |
5.64 |
7.89 |
1.00 |
|
0 |
1 |
1 |
21,498,616 |
238,391 |
225 |
0.00 |
0.05 |
0.00 |
0.04 |
0.00 |
|
0 |
2 |
2 |
141,867,000 |
17,098,242 |
37,653 |
0.00 |
0.01 |
0.00 |
0.00 |
0.00 |
|
6 |
2 |
8 |
2,038,193 |
20,273 |
74 |
2.94 |
3.93 |
2.96 |
3.95 |
8.11 |
|
18 |
0 |
18 |
48,697,000 |
1,221,037 |
2,798 |
0.37 |
0.37 |
0.15 |
0.15 |
0.64 |
(inc Baleares , Canarias etc) |
493 |
78 |
571 |
45,828,172 |
505,992 |
6,777 |
10.76 |
12.46 |
9.74 |
11.28 |
7.27 |
|
38 |
42 |
80 |
9,283,722 |
450,295 |
3,218 |
4.09 |
8.62 |
0.84 |
1.78 |
1.18 |
|
5 |
1 |
6 |
10,327,800 |
163,610 |
1,148 |
0.48 |
0.58 |
0.31 |
0.37 |
0.44 |
|
279 |
14 |
293 |
71,517,100 |
783,562 |
7,200 |
3.90 |
4.10 |
3.56 |
3.74 |
3.88 |
|
105 |
6 |
111 |
61,634,599 |
242,900 |
12,429 |
1.70 |
1.80 |
4.32 |
4.57 |
0.84 |
|
Blue Flag History
The Blue Flag was born in France in 1985 as a pilot scheme where
French coastal municipalities were awarded the Blue Flag on the
basis of criteria covering sewage treatment and bathing water
quality
Blue Flag on European Community level in 1987
1987 was the "European Year of the Environment" and the European
Commission was responsible for developing the European Community
activities of that year. The Foundation for Environmental Education
in Europe (FEEE) presented the concept of the Blue Flag to the
Commission, and it was agreed to launch the Blue Flag Programme as
one of several "European Year of the Environment" activities in the
Community.
The French concept of the Blue Flag was developed on European level
to include other areas of environmental management, such as waste
management and coastal planning and protection. Besides beaches
marinas also became eligible for the Blue Flag.
In 1987, 244 beaches and 208 marinas from 10 countries were awarded
the Blue Flag.
The Blue Flag success
Since 1987 the Programme has year after year increased in numbers
of Blue Flags. The criteria have during these years been changed to
more strict criteria. As an example, in 1992 the Programme started
using the restrictive guideline values in the EEC Bathing Water
Directive as imperative criteria, and this was also the year where
all Blue Flag criteria became the same in all participating
countries
The Blue Flag programme outside the European Union
In 2001 FEE decided to become a global organisation by changing the
name from FEEE to FEE (Foundation for Environmental
Education).
Several organisations and authorities outside the European Union
have made applications to FEE, wishing for cooperation on spreading
the Blue Flag Programme to non-European countries. FEE has been
cooperating with UNEP and UN WTO on extending the Programme to
areas outside Europe. The Blue Flag Programme has already been
implemented in South Africa, Canada, Morocco, Tunisia, New Zealand
and four countries in the Caribbean region. Aruba, Brazil and Malta
are currently in the pilot phase of the Programme and other
countries have started the implementation of the Blue Flag
Programme: Jordan, Macedonia, Turks & Caicos Islands, Ukraine
and United Arab Emirates.
FEE has made the overall decision that the beach criteria within a
region should be similar. The beach criteria has however varied
from region to region reflecting the specific environmental
conditions of the region. As of 2006 an international set of
criteria is being used with some variation within.
The Programme today
In 2009 over 3300 beaches and marinas globally were awarded the
Blue Flag.
39
countries are currently participating in the Blue Flag Programme:
Bahamas
, Belgium
, Bulgaria
, Canada
, Croatia
, Cyprus, Denmark
,Dominican
Republic
, England
, Finland
, France, Germany
, Greece, Iceland
, Ireland
, Italy
, Latvia
, Lithuania
, Malta
, Montenegro
, Morocco
, Netherlands
, New
Zealand
, Northern
Ireland
, Norway
, Poland
, Portugal
, Puerto Rico, Russia
, Romania
, Scotland
, Slovenia
, South Africa, Spain, Sweden
, Tunisia
, Turkey
and
Wales
.
Aruba
, Brazil
, Turks & Caicos Islands and
Ukraine
are
currently running the programme in the pilot phase.
Criteria for awarding the Blue Flag
Beach Criteria
- Environmental Education and Information
- Information relating to coastal zone ecosystems and natural,
sensitive areas in the coastal zone must be displayed
- Information about bathing water quality must be displayed
- Information about the Blue Flag Programme must be
displayed
- Code of conduct for the beach area must be displayed and the
laws governing beach use must be easily available to the public
upon request
- A minimum of 5 environmental education activities must be
offered
- Water Quality
- Compliance with the requirements and standards for excellent
bathing water quality
- No industrial or sewage related discharges may affect the beach
area
- Monitoring on the health of coral reefs located in the vicinity
of the beach
- Compliance of the community with requirements for sewage
treatment and effluent quality
- Algae or other vegetation should be left to decay on the beach
unless it constitutes a nuisance
- Environmental Management
- A beach management committee must be established to be in
charge of instituting environmental management systems and conduct
regular environmental audits of the beach facility
- The beach must comply with all regulations affecting the
location and operation of the beach (coastal zone planning and
environmental legislation)
- The beach must be clean
- Waste disposal bins/receptacles must be available on/by the
beach in adequate numbers, regularly maintained and emptied
- Facilities for receiving recyclable waste materials must be
available on/by the beach
- Adequate and clean sanitary facilities with controlled sewage
disposal
- On the beach there will be no unauthorised camping or driving
and no dumping
- Regulation concerning dogs and other domestic animals on the
beach must be strictly enforced
- All buildings and equipment of the beach must be properly
maintained
- Sustainable means of transportation must be promoted in the
beach area
Safety and Services
- An adequate number of lifeguards and/or lifesaving equipment
must be available at the beach
- First aid equipment must be available on the beach
- There must be management of different users and uses of the
beach so as to prevent conflicts and accidents
- An emergency plans to cope with pollution safety risks must be
in place
- There must be safe access to the beach
- The beach area must be patrolled
- A supply of potable drinking water must be available on the
beach
- A minimum of one Blue Flag beach in each municipality must have
access and toilet facilities provided for disabled persons
- Map of the beach indicating different facilities must be
displayed
Marina Criteria
Environmental Education and Information
- Environmental information about natural sensitive nearby land
and marine areas is supplied to marina users.
- Code of environmental conduct is posted in the marina.
- Information about the Blue Flag Marina Programme and/or the
Blue Flag Marina Criteria are posted in the marina.
- The marina should be able to demonstrate that at least three
environmental education activities are offered to the users and
staff of the marina
- The Individual Blue Flag for boat owners is offered through the
marina.
Blue Flag, 2007
Environmental Management
- Production of an environmental policy and plan at the marina.
The plan should include references to water, waste and energy
consumption, health and safety issues, and the use of
environmentally sound products when available.
- Adequate and properly identified and segregated containers for
the storage of hazardous wastes (paints, solvents, boat scrapings,
antifouling agents, batteries, waste oil, flares). The wastes
should be handled by a licensed contractor and disposed of at a
licensed facility for hazardous waste.
- Adequate and well managed litterbins and/or garbage containers.
The wastes should be handled by a licensed contractor and disposed
of by a licensed facility.
- The marina has facilities for receiving recyclable waste
materials, such as bottles, cans, paper, plastic, organic material,
etc.
- Bilge water pumping facilities are present in the marina.
- Toilet pumping facilities are present in the marina.
- All buildings and equipment must be properly maintained and in
compliance with national legislation. The marina must be in a good
integration with the surrounding natural and built
environment.
- Adequate, clean and well sign-posted sanitary facilities,
including washing facilities and drinking water. Controlled sewage
disposal to a licensed sewage treatment.
- If the marina has boat repairing and washing areas, no
pollution must enter the sewage system, marina land and water or
the natural surroundings.
- Promotion of sustainable transportation.
- No parking/driving in the marina, unless in specific designated
areas.
Safety and Service
- Adequate, clean and well sign-posted lifesaving, first-aid
equipment and fire-fighting equipment. Equipment must be approved
by national authorities.
- Emergency plan in case of pollution, fire or other accidents
must be produced.
- Safety precautions and information must be posted at the
marina.
- Electricity and water is available at the berths, installations
must be approved according to national legislation.
- Facilities for disabled people.
- Map indicating the location of the different facilities is
posted at the marina.
Water Quality
- Visually clean water (no oil, litter, sewage or other evidence
of pollution).
References
- http://www.blueflag.org
- http://www.fee-international.org/
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