Press conference held in Vilafranca del Penedès. 10th February 2026.
The platform StopAgroparc publicly denounces the judicial intimidation strategy initiated by the administrator of Ametller Origen, Josep Ametller. The businessman has filed prior conciliation requests to a criminal complaint against several members of the entities linked to the platform for an alleged crime of defamation and slander.
This attack is not only directed at individual people, but represents a unprecedented threat to freedom of expression and the objectives of environmental and territorial protection of our organisations in Penedès.
The lawsuits have specifically targeted members of Naturalistes de Gelida and the Ecologist Collective Bosc Verd-Ecologistes de Catalunya, who are part of the StopAgroparc platform.
This legal action is a reaction to the denunciation work that the platform has been carrying out since 2016 against the territorial aggression posed by the Agroparc project. It is extremely serious that, instead of responding to environmental warnings, Ametller Origen has decided to pressure specific individuals in an attempt to deactivate the advocacy action of the entire platform.
Decades of commitment to nature. The entities that are currently the target of these pressures have an impeccable track record of service to the territory:
Ecologist Collective Bosc Verd-Ecologistes de Catalunya: Founded in 1986 following the fires in the region, for 40 years we have been working on the protection of forest areas, the reporting of polluting activities, and raising public awareness.
Naturalists of Gelida: Active entity since 2021 which, despite its youth, has been key in defending local biodiversity and ecological connectors.
These organisations had never experienced an intimidation attempt of this level in their history. Regarding the Agroparc, the year 2025 has marked an inflection point where it has moved "from words on paper" to a direct aggression against nature, with very serious acts such as large-scale earth movements or the destruction of the Talaia path. These actions are critically impacting the habitat of the Bonelli's Eagle and essential ecological connectors for the biodiversity of the Penedès region, which connect the coastal and pre-coastal mountain ranges of the Vegueria.
More than just an image on Instagram. Although the complaint focuses on specific posts on Instagram from 18 October 2025, our work is much deeper and is supported by substantial data and legal actions.
We have two administrative litigation proceedings open in relation to the Agroparc project, through which we are exercising our right to public action in defence of the territory. We have also conveyed our concerns to the competent authorities:
Reports to the Regional Environmental Unit (URMA) police (Mossos d’Esquadra) for possible environmental crimes.
Criminal complaints have been filed with the Environmental Prosecutor's Office in Barcelona regarding the destruction of protected habitats and the alleged non-compliance with precautionary measures.
For those who wish to delve into the technical and legal basis of our claims, we invite you to consult the collection of articles on our blog, which explains in detail the situation of impunity and administrative inaction:
We will remain steadfast. Neither Bosc Verd, nor Naturalistes de Gelida, nor Unió de Pagesos, nor the other entities affiliated with StopAgroparc will cease to denounce all issues affecting the protected natural and agricultural space threatened by the Agroparc of Ametller Origen. Our commitment to the protection of nature, ecological connectors, and the survival of the Bonelli's Eagle is non-negotiable. We will not be intimidated by judicial proceedings that only seek to distract attention from what really matters: the environmental emergency in Gelida. In this regard, last December a crowdfunding campaign was launched to protect the eagles of Gelida, which has already received over 12,000 euros from 131 people.
Campaign for crowdfunding to protect the eagles of Gelida
Citizen Platform StopAgroparc
Naturalists of Gelida
Ecologist Collective Bosc Verd-EdC
With the support of Unió de Pagesos, SOM Penedès, ICRA, Platform Parem lo Cat-Sud, the Federation of Ecologists of Catalonia formed byADENC, APMA, ANG, BOSC VERD, CEPA, GEPEC, GEVEN, GDMNS, GDT, IAEDEN, IPCENA, LIMNOS, TRENCA, VALL DEL GES.
