The drilling for shale gas in the United Kingdom, encouraged by the successive Conservative governments of recent years, may not even spare the famous Sherwood Forest, in the county of Nottinghamshire. The English organisation Friends of the Earth has denounced the decision by the petrochemical group Ineos to carry out a seismological survey of the forest's geological structure — a woodland that has always been associated with the literary figure of Robin Hood.

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Surveys in preparation for fracking

This is a first step, necessary to assess the possibility of subsequently using hydraulic fracturing (fracking) to extract the gas. The gas is trapped deep within the rock, and powerful jets of water — mixed with sand and certain chemicals — are used to bring it to the surface. However, this method has come under fire, for example in the United States, on suspicion of contributing to earthquakes. There are also concerns about the risk of contaminating groundwater (as explained in a comprehensive dossier by the United States Environmental Protection Agency).

Shale gas threatens an 800-year-old oak tree too

The environmental organisation reports that it has obtained a series of documents, including an official request submitted by Ineos to the United Kingdom Forestry Commission, which explicitly refers to Sherwood Forest, despite the fact that it is classified in the United Kingdom as a nature reserve. "If the company's plans are confirmed," the organisation explained, "the tests will be carried out a few hundred metres from the Major Oak, which is more than 800 years old." The tree, also linked to popular culture through literature, is already particularly fragile: for this reason, it is supported by cables and props to prevent its branches from breaking under their own weight.

Ineos's intention to carry out the geognostic surveys had been known since last August, when the company sent letters to local residents informing them of its intention to begin work. Friends of the Earth has now revealed the exact areas in which the surveys are planned to take place — information that could reinvigorate opposition to the project.

A demonstration against the project on Saturday

A petition was launched last weekend calling on Energy Minister Andrea Leadsom not to authorise the surveys. Meanwhile, a demonstration has been organised for next Saturday: "The British people," the organisation explained, "want to protect their countryside, and prefer renewable energy to polluting solutions such as shale gas, which contribute to reinforcing climate change."