Socialites and ecologists on the island of Ibiza have formed an unusual alliance, drawn together over the fear of oil exploration several miles off the coast.
The island and its surrounding waters enjoy UN world heritage status because of their ecological and cultural importance.
But Scottish oil explorer Cairn Energy is feared to have Ibiza in its sights. The company says that it has licences to explore in the Gulf of Valencia, north-west of Ibiza, but that any testing or drilling is still a long way off. Spanish authorities first must decide on an environmental impact assessment which will determine if testing can continue.
The decision is expected in late summer.
Spain says it must work to ensure security of its energy, importing as it does 99% of the oil and gas it uses. This has been said to cost €100 million every day.
Early steps in Ibiza were taken in February when more than 10,000 people marched through Ibiza Town, and around 60,000 signed a petition against oil exploration in the area.
Ibiza’s politicians have been surprised at the degree of unanimity. "It is the first time people speak with one voice against a project like this. I cannot remember another time. This is the beginning of something," said Vicent Serra, president of the island's local government, the Consell of Ibiza.
Jaume Ferrer, his counterpart in Formentara, an 82-square mile island off the coast, feels the same. "We feel threatened, attacked, because tourism is the main part of our economy. The tourism is based on our conservation of the environment. We say no."
José Ramón Bauzà, the president of the Balearics – Ibiza, Mallorca and Menorca – has voiced opposition to oil exploration.
As has Pimeef, a federation of 1,700 small and medium-sized businesses on Ibiza. "90% of the economy here is tourism. The island is a jewel. We have pristine water and clean sand, we are careful about our environment. We cannot take the risk to have an incident. Even the fact of having an oil platform [nearby] would mean the island had less value," its president said.
But elsewhere exploration in the Canary Islands is pushing ahead. In May an environmental review gave Spanish oil company Repsol permission to explore off tourist spots Lanzarote and Fuerteventura.
The original 2001 permit had been quashed in 2004 by Spain’s supreme court after legal challenges.
The protest against this attracted some 1,000 people. Riot police were deployed and video footage shows an officer hitting a demonstrator, leading to an investigation of an alleged assault.
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Drilling off the Algarve's coastline, see:
