Luxury yacht owners at war with environmental activists in Ibiza over seagrass damage

Luxury yacht owners who drop anchor off the Balearic Islands are locked in a battle with environmental activists trying to protect threatened seagrass in the area.

One square metre of this seagrass produces as much oxygen as one hectare of the Amazon rainforest, meaning it plays a crucial role for the underwater environment.

However, despite European Union legislation to protect this valuable asset, it is under threat from manmade pollution, climate change that warms the seas, and anchors of luxury yachts tearing away at the plant.

Some yacht owners are conscious of the damage that their anchors can do and use “eco-buoys” that detect meadows of Posidonia, also known as Neptune’s grass.

However, during the summer, when more yachts arrive, many do not bother trying to care for the seagrass.

A study carried out for the Sant Josep council by environmental group Gen-Gob found 112 cases in which yachts had dropped anchor illegally over a 15-day period in April last year, breaking laws protecting the Posidonia.

A Spanish businessman who rents and repairs boats in Ibiza has been convicted of threatening activists who were trying to defend the seagrass. A court convicted Evaristo Soler Cardona, who runs RescueLab, for making threats towards members of conservation group Maltesa del Mar, in a judgement made public on Monday.

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Mr Soler Cardona allegedly told members of the group to leave Porroig, a bay in Ibiza, or he would “kill them and nothing would happen”. When questioned later by police, he said he was in Barcelona at the time of the incident.

He is also under investigation for allegedly damaging seagrass with his boat and threatening police. He denies any wrongdoing.

Also known as Neptune’s grass, Posidonia grows for thousands of hectares on the bottom of the sea.

It takes large amounts of carbon dioxide and converts it into plant matter, thereby playing an important role in fighting climate change.

One hectare of seagrass can soak up as much carbon dioxide as 15 hectares of rainforest, according to a 2021 report for Unesco, a wing of the United Nations.

The seagrass has been judged to be of “high value to protect” by the Balearic Islands government.

i attempted to contact Mr Soler Cardona for comment but was unable to reach him.