Struggles on the Port of Granadilla: defending the right to nature

Abstract

The paper examines the destruction and commodification of nature during the development of the mega-port of Granadilla on the island of Tenerife (Canary Islands, Spain), and the social movements that arose in response to these actions. It draws on participant observations within protest movements, participation in collective action and meetings in the 2000s, relevant documents, and seven interviews with former presidents of the port authority, the ex-mayor of Santa Cruz de Tenerife, and environmental activists. By focusing on the interplay of the crisis, urbanization, nature, conservation and the uprisings, the study expands the literature on the neoliberalization of nature. It is found that the neoliberalization of nature began to intensify after the financial crash in 2008, the completion of the port played a significant role, and biodiversity offsetting emerged against this background. Further, rollbacks in conservation regulations fostered urbanization in the future. The study also focuses on social contestation by highlighting its political emancipatory potential. The emergence of a political red–green alliance that combined the vindication of social rights with the defence of nature and the demand for a different social and territorial island model highlights the ‘right to nature’ as a central element in the fight for the ‘right to the island’.