ABSTRACT
Surfing and industries associated to the sport have grown significantly over the last decades. Likewise, there has been an increase in the recognition of the environmental, cultural and economic value surf breaks provide and the threats they face. This triggered a series of different initiatives to legally protect surf breaks. This chapter argues for the need to further increase efforts to value and protect surf breaks mainly for the wide range of opportunities and important cultural ecosystem services they provide for a growing coastal population, in a context of increasing urbanization and a disconnect with nature. In addition, it explores how some countries are providing legal protection for breaks and offers concrete recommendations for organizations, governments and activists engaged in their conservation and preservation.
