Occlith
Well-Known Member
The Last Flight of the Scarlet Macaw: One Woman's Fight to Save the World's Most Beautiful Bird
Bruce Barcott met Sharon Matola, a zookeeper, while on a reporting trip to Belize. Sharon was protesting the building of a dam that would flood out the wildlife, especially the nesting grounds of the scarlet macaw. Her questions and open opposition made her an enemy of the government and to some top level Belizeans. In a seemingly retaliatory gesture, a landfill is to be located near the zoo.
Sharon's life from childhood to adulthood is briefly covered; her experience with animals and wildlife shape her decision to live in Belize and create a zoo for the people - many who have never seen its creatures.
Belize's history, politics, corruption, and economics, factor into the decision to build the dam. Foreign power companies, undisclosed contracts, and corporate intrigue also figure into the macaws' future.
Sharon's friends, scientists of various fields, eco-tourism businesses, and Belizean citizens join in the protest as well as the environmental lawyers of the Natural Resources Defense Council. The case for and against the dam is eventually taken to the Privy Council in London.
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I found this to be an interesting account of the dramatic and mundane that happens in the country of Belize. Sometimes the story slowed its pace but not so much as to make me want to stop reading.
The author is a contributing editor of Outside magazine and an environmental journalist. Bruce sometimes gets a little cutesy and creative in his descriptions of some of the people – I don't know if that is his usual writing style or an attempt to inject a Belizean flavor to the story. He uses layman's terms to explain legal and scientific data so the text doesn't get bogged in nomenclature.
I recommend this to anyone wanting to know about a side of Belize that the tour books probably don't talk about.
Bruce Barcott met Sharon Matola, a zookeeper, while on a reporting trip to Belize. Sharon was protesting the building of a dam that would flood out the wildlife, especially the nesting grounds of the scarlet macaw. Her questions and open opposition made her an enemy of the government and to some top level Belizeans. In a seemingly retaliatory gesture, a landfill is to be located near the zoo.
Sharon's life from childhood to adulthood is briefly covered; her experience with animals and wildlife shape her decision to live in Belize and create a zoo for the people - many who have never seen its creatures.
Belize's history, politics, corruption, and economics, factor into the decision to build the dam. Foreign power companies, undisclosed contracts, and corporate intrigue also figure into the macaws' future.
Sharon's friends, scientists of various fields, eco-tourism businesses, and Belizean citizens join in the protest as well as the environmental lawyers of the Natural Resources Defense Council. The case for and against the dam is eventually taken to the Privy Council in London.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
I found this to be an interesting account of the dramatic and mundane that happens in the country of Belize. Sometimes the story slowed its pace but not so much as to make me want to stop reading.
The author is a contributing editor of Outside magazine and an environmental journalist. Bruce sometimes gets a little cutesy and creative in his descriptions of some of the people – I don't know if that is his usual writing style or an attempt to inject a Belizean flavor to the story. He uses layman's terms to explain legal and scientific data so the text doesn't get bogged in nomenclature.
I recommend this to anyone wanting to know about a side of Belize that the tour books probably don't talk about.