The scientists who endorsed the lawsuit filed by the Cabildo of Fuerteventura against the authorization of oil exploration have ratified this Monday before the Supreme Court the content of their reports and have once again reiterated the dangers that this activity poses to the coasts of this island and Lanzarote.
The Cabildo of Fuerteventura has stated that after the appearance of these experts it has become "patent the unity that exists among the expert scientific community, which knows the reality and the natural values of the exploration area." The scientists have shown their "absolute" rejection of this activity and have highlighted "the absolute lack of foundation of the justifications provided by the multinational oil companies."
The experts have described as "generic", "incomplete", "and in many aspects even erroneous", the justifications provided by the oil promoters, who defend "a supposed harmlessness of the explorations on the ecosystem of the Canary Islands." The experts have explained to the Supreme Court the values of the Canary Island marine ecosystem from all points of view, such as migratory birds, cetaceans, the seabed and the "negative consequences of seismic surveys."
Specifically, this Monday the president of the Society for the Study of Cetaceans in the Canary Archipelago (SECAC), Vidal Martín, author of the report on the importance of cetaceans in the east of the islands of Lanzarote and Fuerteventura, appeared. Ricardo Haroun, from the Center for Biodiversity and Environmental Management of the University of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, author of the report "Potential effects of oil exploration on marine biodiversity in Canary waters", also testified.
José Manuel Arcos, from SEO/BirdLife, author of an "Informative document from SEO/BirdLife on the possible impact of oil exploration in Lanzarote and Fuerteventura, with special attention to the Fuerteventura biosphere reserve"; Ricardo Aguilar, from OCEANA, author of the report "Marine areas of the Canary Islands affected by oil exploration. Canary Channel and eastern coasts of the archipelago" and, finally, Natacha Aguilar del Soto, as author of the expert report "Cetaceans, fishing and oil exploration in the Canary Islands", also attended the Supreme Court.
The appearances continue on Wednesday
The appearances will continue next Wednesday, July 17. On that day, Alejandro Aguilar Vila, author of the "Expert Report on oil exploration in Canary waters. Eastern Waters of Fuerteventura and Lanzarote. Impact on marine fauna (cetaceans and turtles)" and Francisco Javier Villanueva Santaulari, captain of the Merchant Marine and author of the "Technical Report on the environmental impact and the risk of marine pollution in the operating procedure of Repsol Oil Research S.A. explorations in waters near the eastern coast of the Island of Fuerteventura" will testify in the Supreme Court. The appearances are open to the public.
The Cabildo of Fuerteventura has highlighted that, "despite the frontal opposition shown by the State Attorney, who represents the central government, as well as by the lawyers of Repsol", the Supreme Court decided to listen to these experts "in order to form a technical-scientific opinion on these issues."
The Minister of the Environment of the Cabildo of Fuerteventura, Natalia Évora, has stressed the importance of scientific support for the opposition to these projects "which is added to the opposition of all the institutions of the two eastern islands, the Parliament and the Government of the Canary Islands." "No matter how much the oil companies try to ignore it, there are social, environmental and scientific arguments, and above all a broad democratic will, to stop this madness once and for all", she said.
