The silence of Es Vedrà was not always silence. For months, before its access was closed, the old viewpoint accumulated the remains of bottles, improvised bonfires and cans where dozens of sargantanas appeared trapped and lifeless. Dean Gallagher, a volunteer and resident of Ibiza, spent half a year removing garbage, cutting burnt brush and finding scenes that, he says, “no one would imagine in a place like this”. His story, shared on social networks, has turned the restoration of the enclave into a crude x-ray of the human impact on one of the most recognizable landscapes of Sant Josep and the entire island of Ibiza.
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Garbage and dead lizards: Es Vedrà, on the verge of environmental collapse
“We removed about a ton of trash,” said Gallagher, who helped clean up the privately owned property. His account provides a first-person view of the state the area was left in after consecutive seasons of uncontrolled visitation.
The volunteer experience in a space on the edge
Gallagher explains that when he arrived he found bottles and cans with dead lizards, small fires that had to be put out immediately and the remains of improvised parties. The contrast with the idyllic image of the cliff surprises even those who know the area well, which has become a symbol of Ibiza for visitors and influencers.
The volunteer admits that at first he did not share the idea of closing the access, a decision taken by the owners of the estate in order to clean up and protect the environment. “I had visited it many times myself,” he admits, but says that working on the ground allowed him to see the extent to which human impact had exceeded any capacity for natural recovery without intervention.
On one occasion, he found a person overdosing on drugs in broad daylight, while on the floor were syringes, broken glass and dirty diapers. “What the hell?” he wrote, highlighting the scene as an example of the general deterioration that prompted the closure.
X-ray of the deterioration of the viewpoint
Overcrowding turned the old lookout point into a critical point. Gallagher details episodes of vandalism, such as the repeated cutting of the fence installed to protect the estate, with constant entries despite signs indicating the prohibition. Entering there, he recalls, is trespassing, an extreme that many visitors were unaware of.
He also denounced that some influencers were using the space without respect for wildlife. In one case, he claims that a person was recording a video for TikTok while disturbing a peregrine falcon nest, which may have caused the pair to leave the area. The volunteer warns that such situations would have immediate consequences in any nature reserve abroad.
Despite the closure of the viewpoint, he insists that seeing Es Vedrà is still possible by legal routes, such as the marked paths to the coast or the tower des Savinar. The public managers themselves have reinforced the signage to order the flow of visitors, especially in Sa Pedrera (Atlantis), where unauthorized access had also been detected in recent years.
The Ibizan sargantana, a silent victim
The presence of dozens of dead lizards trapped in containers is, for Gallagher, one of the most striking aspects of the deterioration of the viewpoint. These are specimens of the Ibizan sargantana(Podarcis pityusensis), an endemic species whose situation has been aggravated by the spread of invasive snakes.
The volunteer stresses that the farm is one of the last refuges for this species, making its protection a particularly sensitive issue. His story reflects how the combination of garbage and human pressure can multiply the risks for a fauna that is already in decline, and why the restoration of the environment is not only aesthetic, but ecological.
A debate on the tourism model
Gallagher’s publication generated intense debate among residents, many of whom are grateful for his work and consider the situation evidence of the need to rethink the island’s tourism model. “It is the resident who ends up minimizing the effects of unbridled growth that only benefits a few,” lamented one user.
Others recalled recent episodes, such as DJ Diplo’s party at this same viewpoint, which led to sanctions and strong criticism. Some pointed to the contradiction between those who protested the closure then and now celebrate its restoration, as one participant wrote in the digital conversation.
There were also messages appealing to coexistence and respect for the environment, highlighting the importance of the local community keeping environmental awareness alive in the face of overexploitation and the irresponsible behavior of some visitors.
What happens now with the access to Es Vedrà?
The old viewpoint remains closed, but there are legal and accessible alternatives to see Es Vedrà from other points along the coast. Gallagher thanked in his publication the actions of the City Council of Sant Josep and the Department of Environment, which have installed signage, ropes and poles to guide visitors along permitted routes and reduce erosion in sensitive areas.
The volunteer also recognizes the work of COFIB, a Balearic Government agency with which conservation initiatives are being promoted. However, he considers that it is not enough, and asks residents and tourists to act as allies in the protection of local biodiversity.
“Help us protect endangered endemic species,” he wrote, reminding us that hundreds of photographs do not compensate for the damage caused when basic rules of environmental respect are ignored.
