PALMA DE MALLORCA The fine white sandy beaches of Mallorca attracts millions of holidaymakers a year. But few sunbathers realize that they are not always genuine. Large amounts of the sand were laid there artificially last year because the Balearic island's beaches are gradually disappearing.

"Not a single beach on Mallorca is still ecologically intact," said geographer Jaume Servera.

Twelve years ago the bay of Porto Cristo on the east of the island had a sandy beach 700 meters long and 50 meters wide. Since then it has lost a quarter of its surface. A large swathe of it has been swallowed up by the sea, DPA reported.

No detailed research has been carried out into the exact cause of Mallorca's vanishing beaches. BT is considered certain that the problem is man-made. "We are destroying our coasts at a galloping rate," warned marine biologist Isabel Moreno.

One reason could be that hotels and restaurants are being built directly along large lengths of the coastline. They no longer have a hinterland of dune systems to help them regenerate.

Another problem is the vast number of sunbathers who involuntarily take around a gram away with them on their feet and in their belongings every time they leave the beach. This adds up to several tons a year.

Environmentalists are particularly worried that the bed of Neptune grass (posidonia) that grows on the seabed near the beach is being destroyed. "The sea grass it being ripped up intentionally because it looks like algae and puts off bathers," said Joan Rita, chairman of the environmental organization Gob.

But once it has been ripped out, it makes it even easier for the waves to wash away more sand. "Holidaymakers should not consider the grass dirty," Rita says. "On the contrary, it is a guarantee of good water quality. Wherever the grass is growing, the beaches are ecologically healthy."

Experts are less worried about the city beaches such as Playa de Palma and Ballermann, infamous for its loud partying and heavy drinking young German tourists. "On the city beaches there is ecologically nothing left to ruin," an official from the Mallorcan Environment Ministry told the newspaper *** "Mallorca Magazine". ***

They are much more worried about the natural beaches, which have not been built on or artificially covered with sand. The largest of these is Es Trenc in the southeast of the island. Between 5,000 and 7,000 bathers per day crowd onto it, some of them with sports utility vehicles.

"Please leave Es Trenc alone and go to Playa de Palma instead," appealed *** "Mallorca Magazine" *** to holidaymakers. "It is hard to see why bathers stream onto supposedly deserted natural beaches - only to find thousands more like them and no seclusion."

But there is some good news for Mallorca's beaches. The water is clean practically everywhere. Regular samples taken by health authority officials on the 52 main beaches were nearly all certified the water quality "very good".