Those units that, due to their physical nature, are associated with the direct action of marine dynamics, including cliffs, beaches, dunes and the coastline, whose physical characteristics make them a necessary geographical unit of protection. It collects the specific modeling caused by the marine action on the rocky, with inlets or coves and meanings, isolated physical elements, mogotes or islets, close to the cliff, known as "urros". The association between urros, shoals, cliffs, sands, dunes and fringes, combine different elements such as lithology, erosion or the action of the sea, giving the area an exceptional character due to its environmental values, in this case physical-natural.

It encompasses all of the territorial units delimited as Estuary-Ría, subject to tidal dynamics. The coastal scenery is prolonged by the estuaries and estuaries without a solution of continuity, the meanders with their modeling contribute to enrich the whole by generating forms associated with the fluvial-marine dynamics. These areas give the territory a special value from the point of view not only physical but also visual, since they contribute to the long perception towards the sea and the shores in the intertidal area.

​

​

​

 It encompasses the Ribera: the space associated with the tidal and fluvial dynamics occupied by filling or other operations for human use (river bed, marshes, etc.) and the Terrazgo de Ribera: sector of the sea or river shore used for agricultural cultivation on spaces generated by fluvial dynamics or on appropriate spaces by human action through landfills or other analogues. The riverbanks are areas of enormous value that have been generally recognized as one of the most relevant in the structure of the territory, not only because they are configured as a complex ecosystem, but also from the perspective of natural or environmental risk. The historical and cultural perspective linked to their use should not be forgotten either.

It corresponds to all the territorial units where the dominant physical character is native vegetation such as holm oak forests and Atlantic hardwood stands, gallery forests and riparian vegetation. Likewise, it includes areas of relict vegetation such as coastal holm oaks, almost always showing an arboreal or shrubby habit. On other occasions, it includes areas of herbaceous vegetation or scrubland influenced by its strong exposure to coastal phenomena such as winds or salinity.

 Sectors of the coast that have outstanding features due to their exceptional nature or physical singularity (such as Monde Candina or La Masera), and for their scientific and cultural interest (La Arnía, Ensenada de Calderón, etc.), due to their geomorphological characteristics or their incidence as a setting or backdrop for spaces or elements of outstanding cultural value (Rubárcena hill in Comillas) in relation to the Pontifical University. They are sectors of the coast that due to their physical characteristics, visibility or configuration and agrarian morphology, exceptionality and social perception, have an outstanding cultural value and must be the object of comprehensive protection.

 Coastal protection encompasses the sea level and the rural territory most directly associated with the presence of the sea with the aim of forming a reference coastal area of what our society knows as coastal territory. The nature of the coastal plain, a predominantly horizontal flat space located on the coastal platform and elevated as a consequence of the vertical movements experienced by the thing, presenting a high degree of exposure with respect to the sea and the estuaries. This category of protection aims to preserve the identity of a territory, traditionally dedicated to cultivation spaces and spaces associated with it, such as scrub-producing areas, known as jerras or mountains. This type of historical occupation has configured a model and represents a hallmark of the coastal territory of Cantabria.

This category includes those areas close to urban centers related to peri-urbanization processes induced by the highway and those located in the surroundings of Santander Bay. In general, these are rural spaces in the surroundings of the most dynamic peri-urban areas, subjected to transformation processes hand in hand with the introduction of uses that have modified their territorial structure. Its name responds to the vocation of these sectors to serve as a link between the traditional organization of their territory with a marked still rural character and their urban centers.

 This area includes all the territorial units of mountain land that are not included in the category of coastal protection and the spaces of traditional rural organization in the form of cornfields, preserved from the building, only occupied by crops and various elements of natural vegetation , in addition to elements such as stone walls or the vegetal borders that delimit the harvests, as long as they are not affected by the presence of karst phenomena or are areas of maximum visual exposure.

This area includes forest systems or spaces occupied by shrubby scrub or arboreal vegetation different from that indicated above in the Ecological Protection category, and in which production uses can be made compatible with protection.

Non-Coastal Area (N / L) The Non-Coastal Area comprises the territory of coastal municipalities not affected by physical phenomena related to coastal dynamics. In these areas, the town councils will plan where, how and when to develop their future growth, respecting the general criteria and guidelines present in this Plan.