Scenic assessment of Peruvian beaches: implications for management and conservation on the South American Pacific coast
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.47193/mafis.3932026010709Keywords:
Coastal landscape, scenic beauty, CSES, coastal management, D valueAbstract
This study evaluates the scenic beauty of 63 beaches along the Peruvian coastline using the Coastal Scenery Evaluation System (CSES), an objective methodology that integrates 26 physical and human parameters to calculate a coastal scenic index (D-value). Beaches were classified by region (North, Central, South), accessibility, and typology (urban, village, rural, remote). Statistical analyses included ANOVA and non-parametric tests to assess differences among groups. Results indicate no significant differences among regions or accessibility levels; however, beach typology significantly influenced scenic quality, with urban beaches showing the lowest D-values. The best-preserved beaches, which achieved the highest D values, were associated with minimal human intervention and better conservation of their natural state. This study represents the most extensive scenic assessment conducted along the Peruvian coast and provides valuable inputs for integrated beach management, considering ecological, social, and economic dimensions-from landscape conservation and waste control to tourism planning, user safety, and the efficient allocation of resources for coastal management.
Downloads
References
Anfuso G, Williams AT, Martínez GC, Botero CM, Hernández JC, Pranzini E. 2017. Evaluation of the scenic value of 100 beaches in Cuba: implications for coastal tourism management. Ocean Coast Manage. 142: 173-185. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ocecoaman.2017.03.029 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ocecoaman.2017.03.029
Aponte H, Coello-Sarmiento MP, Montes-Iturrizaga D. 2025. New insights about the drivers of change in the coastal wetlands of Peru: results of a rapid field survey. Water. 17 (10): 1473. DOI: https://doi.org/10.3390/w17101473 DOI: https://doi.org/10.3390/w17101473
Aravena T, Arshad H, Campos de Andrade A, Farhad N, Iliya C, Jayaswal L, Nazir S, Zhu Y. 2016. Costa Verde: gobernanza de la costa. Londres: London’s Global University. [consultado 13 octubre 2025]. https://www.ucl.ac.uk/bartlett/development/sites/bartlett/files/costa_verde_spn1_3.pdf.
Asensio-Montesinos F, Anfuso G, Randerson P, Williams AT. 2019. Seasonal comparison of beach litter on Mediterranean coastal sites (Alicante, SE Spain). Ocean Coast Manage. 181: 104914. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ocecoaman.2019.104914 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ocecoaman.2019.104914
Benseny G. 2014. The coastal area as a tourist scenario: the case of Villa Gesell (Argentina). En: 7 World Conference for Graduate Research in Tourism Hospitality and Leisure. p. 764-768.
Blondet D, Plaza-Salazar A, Barona D. 2023. Evaluación de los residuos sólidos encontrados en playas de la Costa Verde, Lima, Perú durante el invierno de 2021. South Sustain. 4 (1): e070. DOI: https://doi.org/10.21142/SS-0401-2023-e070 DOI: https://doi.org/10.21142/SS-0401-2023-e070
Botero CM, Cabrera JA, Cervantes OD, Pérez G. 2022. Certificação da paisagem de praias: o caso do EIC-PPP. En: Bombana B, Turra A, Polette M, editores. Gestão de praias: do conceito à prática. São Paulo (BR): Instituto de Estudos Avançados da Universidade de São Paulo. p. 396-410. DOI: https://doi.org/10.11606/9786587773360 DOI: https://doi.org/10.11606/9786587773360
Botero CM, Sheehan L, Cordero R. 2024. From beauty to management: assessment of coastal scenery on Nova Scotian beaches as a guide for better decision making. J Coast Res. 113 (1): 21-27. DOI: https://doi.org/10.2112/JCR-SI113-005.1 DOI: https://doi.org/10.2112/JCR-SI113-005.1
Corraini NR, de Lima ADS, Bonetti J, Rangel-Buitrago N. 2018. Troubles in the paradise: litter and its scenic impact on the North Santa Catarina island beaches, Brazil. Mar Pollut Bull. 131: 572-579. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.marpolbul.2018.04.061 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.marpolbul.2018.04.061
De-la-Torre GE, Dioses-Salinas DC, Ribeiro VV, Castro ÍB, Ben-Haddad M, Ortega-Borchardt JÁ. 2024. Marine litter along the Peruvian coast: spatiotemporal composition, sources, hazard, and human modification relations. Environ Sci Pollut Res. 31 (48): 58396-58412. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-024-34834-1 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-024-34834-1
Defeo O, Licandro JA, Olalde J, Bausero-Jorcin S, Celentano E, de Álava A, et al. 2024. Assessing the health and scenic quality of sandy beaches: a large-scale evaluation using expert judgement. Ocean Coast Manage. 259: 107468. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ocecoaman.2024.107468 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ocecoaman.2024.107468
Ergin A, Karaesmen E, Micallef A, Williams AT. 2004. A new methodology for evaluating coastal scenery. Coast Eng. 52: 69-88. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/j.0004-0894.2004.00238.x DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/j.0004-0894.2004.00238.x
Ergin A, Özölçer İH, Şahin F. 2010. Evaluating coastal scenery using fuzzy logic: application at selected sites in Western Black Sea coastal region of Turkey. Ocean Eng. 37 (7): 583-591. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.oceaneng.2010.02.003 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.oceaneng.2010.02.003
Hammer O, Harper DAT, Ryan PD. 2001. PAST: Paleontological statistics software package for education and data analysis. Palaeontol Electron. 4 (1): 1-9.
Iglesias B, Anfuso G, Uterga A, Arenas P, Williams AT. 2017. Scenic value of the Basque Country and Catalonia coasts (Spain): impacts of tourist occupation. J Coast Conserv. 22 (2): 247-261. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11852-017-0570-0 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11852-017-0570-0
Lizarbe-Palacios M, Aponte H, Botero CM. 2022. Multitemporal scenic evaluation of urban coastal sites: a Peruvian case study. Water. 14: 2336. DOI: https://doi.org/10.3390/w14152336 DOI: https://doi.org/10.3390/w14152336
Lozano-Sanllehi S, Zavalaga CB. 2021. Nonrandom spatial distribution of Neotropic Cormorants (Phalacrocorax brasilianus) along a coastal highway in Lima, Peru. PLoS ONE. 16 (3): e0242835. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0242835 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0242835
Mooser A, Anfuso G. 2019. Las 50 playas más atractivas de Andalucía desde un enfoque innovador: el paisaje. Cádiz: Editorial UCA. 301 p. http://hdl.handle.net/10498/19158.
Nachite D, Maziane F, Anfuso G, Williams AT. 2019. Spatial and temporal variations of litter at the Mediterranean beaches of Morocco mainly due to beach users. Ocean Coast Manage. 179: 104846. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ocecoaman.2019.104846 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ocecoaman.2019.104846
[PROMPERÚ] Comisión de Promoción del Perú para la Exportación y el Turismo. 2019. Perfil del turista extranjero 2019. Lima: PROMPERÚ.
Rangel-Buitrago N, Williams AT, Ergin A, Anfuso G, Micallef A, Pranzini E. 2018. Coastal scenery: an introduction. En: Rangel-Buitrago N, editor. Coastal scenery: evaluation and management. Cham: Springer International Publishing. p. 1-16. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-78878-4_1
Rangel-Buitrago N, Ben-Haddad M. 2024. A 20-year review of the coastal scenery evaluation system. Ocean Coast Manage. 257: 107341. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ocecoaman.2024.107341
Rodella I, Corbau C. 2020. Linking scenery and users’ perception analysis of Italian beaches (case studies in Veneto, Emilia-Romagna and Basilicata regions). Ocean Coast Manage. 183: 104992. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ocecoaman.2019.104992 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ocecoaman.2019.104992
Tudor C. 2014. An approach to landscape character and assessment. Londres: Natural England.
Williams A, Micallef A. 2009. Beach management: principles and practice. Londres: Routledge. DOI: https://doi.org/10.4324/9781849770033 DOI: https://doi.org/10.4324/9781849770033
Williams AT, Micallef A, Anfuso G, Gallego JB. 2012. Andalusia, Spain: an assessment of coastal scenery. Landsc Res. 37 (3): 327-349. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/01426397.2011.590586 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/01426397.2011.590586
Williams AT, Rangel-Buitrago NG, Anfuso G, Cervantes O, Botero CM. 2016. Litter impacts on scenery and tourism on the Colombian north Caribbean coast. Tour Manage. 55: 209-224. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tourman.2016.02.008 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tourman.2016.02.008
Downloads
Additional Files
Published
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2026 Héctor Apote, Daniel Panizo Coronado, David Montes, Mary Lizarbe, Marina Quiñe, Camilo M. Botero
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
Authors of articles published in Marine and Fishery Sciences retain copyright on their articles, except for any third-party images and other materials added by Marine and Fishery Sciences, which are subject to copyright of their respective owners. Authors are therefore free to disseminate and re-publish their articles, subject to any requirements of third-party copyright owners and subject to the original publication being fully cited. Visitors may also download and forward articles subject to the citation requirements. The ability to copy, download, forward or otherwise distribute any materials is always subject to any copyright notices displayed. Copyright notices must be displayed prominently and may not be obliterated, deleted or hidden, totally or partially.
This journal offers authors an Open Access policy. Users are allowed to read, download, copy, distribute, print, search, or link to the full texts of the articles, or use them for any other legal purpose within the Creative Commons 4.0 license (BY-NC-SA), without asking prior permission from the publisher or the author. This is in accordance with the BOAI definition of Open Access.
