Ibiza says no

Ibiza knows how to make money from noise. It has ridden the wave of ‘club tourism’ from its early beginnings in the 1980s all the way through to today, fuelling its economy through the drinks, dance parties and expensive accommodation purchased by the world’s 24-hour party people. It brings noise, it brings disruption, but it brings more money to the island than anything else, with about 80% of the economy fuelled by tourism.

Now, a new noisy money spinner is on the horizon, with independent oil and gas exploration firm Cairn Energy looking to pump the ocean with sonic sound waves. The company wishes to carry out 3D seismic assessments about 53km off the coast of the island to identify the potential for tapping its untouched oil resources.

Cairn, which has pitched its plans on the promise of jobs and prosperity for the local community, is currently awaiting permission to carry out its seismic surveys. It has already received support from the political powers in Madrid, which is keen to reduce Spain’s heavy reliance on energy imports, but there is strong opposition from environmental groups, as well as the local population and prominent figures who holiday on the island.

The criticisms levelled at the plans focus on the potential environmental damage if the proposed sites are developed into production wells. The sea surrounding Ibiza is populated by diverse marine wildlife and campaigners fear that even at the surveying stage, the ecosystem and ocean life could be damaged.

Big fish, little fish under threat

To conduct the surveys, specially equipped ships will tow strings of flowing cables that emit sound beneath the water and enable a 3D model of the ocean floor to be constructed. For the campaigners, this practice, known to its opponents as seismic blasting, is a threat to green turtles, bottlenose dolphins and many other species that populate the proposed site.

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After a spate of unexplained whale deaths in areas of seismic testing, many are concerned the industry could somehow be responsible.


In the US, where seismic testing was recently approved along the East Coast, a report by the Navy identified 40 separate species that would be affected by the practice, including the humpback whale and the blue whale. The use of sonar by the Navy has already been shown to result in displacement of whales that become disorientated by the noise.

In an interview with Spanish newspaper El Pais, Michel André, a lecturer at the Bio-acoustic Applications Laboratory at the Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya, suggested that the testing would pose a risk to surrounding species: "There is no doubt that the sound levels produced by these compressed-air guns during testing are probably the most intense that would be introduced artificially into the sea, and that therefore present a health risk for the animals nearby."

In a brochure covering its operations in Spain, Cairn Energy, which operates under its wholly-owned Spanish subsidiary Capricorn Spain Limited, explained that it "intends to acquire the data at a time when any impact will be a minimum, likely to be in the winter months".

Spanish government backs offshore oil

The seismic studies, along with any subsequent stages in the company’s four licensed areas in the Gulf of Valencia, which are named B, C, AM1 and AM2 and cover an area of roughly 3,175km², are all covered by the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA). The EIA, which has been submitted to the Spanish authorities, will detail the potential environmental issues of exploration and how the company will mitigate them.

The company said: "Wherever it operates Cairn works with independent environmental experts to implement the EIA, which identifies and mitigate against any environmental impact in a particular area and guides our activity in the area. As part of the EIA Cairn meets with local stakeholders and communities to understand and respond to any concerns they might have and to mitigate any impacts where possible."

"On the island, a number of models posed with oil covering their naked bodies in a piece of anti-oil performance art."

Cairn explained that wherever possible, it aims to employ local contractors and labour around its operations, offering economic benefits to offset the disruptions caused by its operations. It also pointed out that while oil exploration is new for Ibiza, it has been carried out in Spain for decades, with 267 offshore wells drilled in Spain between 1960 and 2010. Cairn and those backing the development of Spanish oil extraction will likely draw strength from a recent ruling that supported exploration around the Canary Islands.

Back in 2012, the Spanish government restored an oil exploration licence for waters near Fuertaventura and Lanzarote that gave Repsol the rights to explore for oil resources. Following a number of challenges from environmentalists and the local community, the decision was put on hold pending a decision by the Supreme Court. On 24 June, the court rejected the appeals and supported the government. Repsol recently stated that it could start production in the area in 2019.

The situation in Ibiza is similar to what has played out in the Canary Islands. The national government is supportive of expanding oil exploration and the company, in this case the foreign-owned Cairn as opposed to the Spanish owned Repsol, has declared its intention to explore the area. On the other side, as with the Canary Islands, is a group of environmentalists arguing that the ends don’t justify the means and a group of local residents and businesses warning that it has the potential to damage the island’s vital tourism industry.

The anti-oil campaign’s trump card?

The difference between the two environmental campaigns is the higher profile the Ibiza protests have secured. The Ibiza Says No campaign, which has been backed by high profile figures such as the model Kate Moss, music mogul Sean Combs and environmental investor Ben Goldsmith, has garnered much greater publicity than the campaign to stop exploration in the Canary Islands.

In February, more than 10,000 people marched through Ibiza Town in protest of the plans, while in the same month the Balearic Council announced that it had received a formal petition signed by 33,000. On the island, a number of models posed with oil covering their naked bodies in a piece of anti-oil performance art. Earlier in August, it was revealed that 180,000 Germans had signed a petition arranged by German environmental group OceanCare calling on Spain’s energy ministry to stop proceedings.



With dwindling oil and gas reserves growing more valuable every year, blurred boundaries are ripe for dispute.


Further publicity has been garnered through celebrities sharing photos of themselves holding banners expressing their opposition across social media, and club nights held on the island in support of the campaign. Greenpeace has also lent strong support to the campaign, bringing its flagship Rainbow Warrior to the island.

The intentions of the national government and the oil companies appear to be clearly aligned in supporting greater exploitation of the oil resources around Spain. But the strong and organised campaign against it has generated support from local politicians.
Vincent Serra, president of the Consell Insular of Ibiza and a member of the ruling Popular Party, which is backing oil exploration across Spain, has been swept up by the local campaign.

"It is the first time people speak with one voice against a project like this," he said. "I cannot remember another time. This is the beginning of something. I am against oil prospecting here. I was voted to represent the people here."

With the Spanish government determined to increase the country’s oil production and decrease its reliance on imports, it is unlikely that any campaign will bring about a wholesale reversal. But with global publicity, justifiable environmental concerns and, perhaps most vitally, a campaign group populated by photogenic, popular, social media-savvy celebrities, the battle for Ibiza is far from over.

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