As part of the scientific studies around the beaches, several actions are carried out in Holguín, among which are the morphological and sedimentological monitoring of the elements that make up the profile of this ecosystem, which serves to know their variability. in space and time;and it can be done monthly, quarterly and semi-annually.But, this is not new.The morphological monitoring of the beaches on the coast of Holguín dates back to the 1990s, with the existence of a Coastal Dynamics Laboratory, belonging to the Cuban Institute of Hydrography (ICH), which had among its scopes our territory already all of eastern Cuba, except Las Tunas.Topographical equipment used in the morphological monitoring of the beaches, from left to right: Daltha and five-point sight, Leica TS-06 total and prism pole.With the creation of the Coastal Investment Unit (Uicos), and the Center for Research and Environmental and Technological Services (Cisat) in the year 2000, it is carried out on the Don Lino and Guardalavaca beaches and later on others;but it is not until May 2012 that it is resumed on a regular basis until today;when, fortunately, with the collaboration of the Ecovalor project, the Coastal Management Department was created within Cisat itself.The province of Holguín has seven municipalities with coasts towards the Atlantic, Gibara, Rafael Freyre, Banes, Antilla, Mayarí, Frank País and Moa.From the results of some investigations, it is known that it has several coastal sectors with abrasive, abrasive-accumulative and cumulative characteristics;and that, in total, there are 19 bays on the coast, half of them with some port facility and six with ports.Geodesic point example.About what the beach profile is, Elier Córdova García, Assistant Researcher in the field, clarified that it is the result of surveying the geomorphological elements that make it up;through measurement with a topographic equipment, either Theo, Daltha or Total Station, on a point tied to the National Geodetic Network, which provides mathematical variables such as horizontal angle, vertical angle, distance and depth.“The updated inventory of the region's recreational potential reports more than 260 places with tourist attractions.Currently there are more than six thousand rooms in operation and Holguín is recognized as one of the most significant destinations in the country.All this explains the importance of studying our beaches”, clarified Walker Olaguibel, Development and Investment specialist at the Mintur Delegation here.Example of plotting of topobathymetric curves in profile 1 of Guardalavaca beach, located at the western end of the Atlantic sector.Infographics: from the authorAntonio Vega Torres, head of the Department of Coastal Management, reported that for this year 2021 monitoring is carried out, every three months, of Don Lino, Pesquero Nuevo, Estero, Náutico, Yuraguanal, Esmeralda, Guardalavaca, Carmona, Baracutey and Caimán;and that the technical scientific service is carried out by means of a Leica TS 06 Total Station. But, what does sedimentological monitoring consist of?The DrC.Ridel Rodríguez Paneque, a specialist for Citma, explains that it is based on taking samples of sand to characterize it, according to the diameter of its grain, fine, medium, coarse, etc., in addition to knowing its organic and genetic composition.“In the case of the beaches studied, their origin is biogenic, the result of the remains of corals, foraminifera, calcareous algae;This is fundamentally due to the presence of coral reefs.The granulometric characterization of the sand is carried out in the laboratory by processing the samples collected on the foreshore of each of the monitored profiles, 454 in total, to date”, argued Ridel.Geographical location of the beaches under study in the 2021 monitoring.The morphological monitoring of the beaches on the coast of our province responds to the MACROPROJECT (PNAP): Scenarios of danger and vulnerability of the Cuban coastal zone, associated with the rise in the average level of the sea for the years 2050 and 2100;and PROJECT 6: Update and evaluation of the beaches, evolution of the coastline for the same period.Also to the State Plan for Life Task, adaptation to climate change and legislative complement to Decree Law 212-2000 Management and Conservation of the Coastal Zone."The methodology we use is based on the protocol written by specialists from the former Institute of Oceanology, currently the Institute of Marine Sciences (ICIMAR)," said Córdova.Las Dalias Sector, Fishing Beach.Photos: Courtesy of the Department of Coastal Management.What environmental contribution does this process have, then?"Being able to count on a primary database on nine beaches of the Holguin coast, distributed essentially in the municipalities of Rafael Freyre, Banes and Antilla, most of them with eight years of longevity, allows us to know the behavior of the morphological elements of the profile of beach (dune, post-beach, berm, beachfront, submerged slope inflection) under normal hydrodynamic conditions (good weather) and extreme hydrodynamic conditions (cold fronts, tropical storms, hurricanes).“These results are essential when carrying out environmental management actions, aimed at organizing the space that makes up this fragile ecosystem, such as maintenance actions through the artificial dumping of sand or sediment based on sustainable development and the possibility of restore the natural conditions lost over time to the regenerated beaches, a consequence, among other factors, of coastal erosion,” said Vega Torres.This, without a doubt, also has an economic contribution.Córdova considers that “monitoring is essential for tourism in the sun and beach modality.This service is carried out in 7,738 meters of coastline, in spaces with Tourism Management Plans.The aforementioned beaches, with greater or lesser urgency, need Executive Technical Projects that allow regeneration through the artificial feeding of sediments.The data provided by such monitoring is essential for their materialization”.Faced with the onslaught of climate change and anthropogenic activities, putting science at the service of the environment is a necessity rather than an alternative;This issue is understood by this team of specialists from Holguin, who work every day and surpass themselves to make our beaches beautiful, preserved and healthy places.