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Tourism expansion v turtle nests: the dispute dividing communities in one Tobago resort
Plans for a 200-room project on an unspoiled beach have pitted developers against the conservationists fighting for smaller-scale schemes to protect the islandβs habitat
Visitors to Rocky Point in south-west Tobago are drawn to its sandy beach, fringed by coral reefs and dark rock formations and carpeted with the fruit-bearing trees found on Caribbean coastlines β almonds, sea grapes, coconuts, and the poisonous manchineel. The beach is part of Back Bay, a 500-metre swathe of land, and trekking through its undulating terrain, thickly covered in bush and shrubs, feels akin to walking through a rainforest.
But this still relatively unspoiled location is at the centre of a struggle between two opposing interests β those who see large-scale development as the most profitable path and those who believe smaller, incremental developments owned by the community would be best.
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Β© Photograph: Mark Meredith/Getty Images

Β© Photograph: Mark Meredith/Getty Images

Β© Photograph: Mark Meredith/Getty Images
Comebacks for wild tigers, tuna and sea turtles prove nature loss can be reversed, scientists say
A landmark report reveals that the world must change the way it produces food to avoid a biodiversity collapse
Conservation comebacks for wild tigers, tuna and greenβ sea turtles prove that global nature loss can be reversed, βscientists have said. βBut a report warns food production must be the next ββpositive tipping pointββ if the world is to avert biodiversity collapse.
The World Wildlife Fund (WWF) analysed nearly 36,000 animal populations and more than 5,000 species, producing the largest ever database of vertebrate wildlife. Scientists found populations had declined by an average of 73% since 1970, showing that βnature continues to be degraded at an alarming scaleβ, with βno sign of losses slowingβ.
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Β© Photograph: wesdotphotography/Alamy

Β© Photograph: wesdotphotography/Alamy

Β© Photograph: wesdotphotography/Alamy
Salmon Are Thriving After Klamath Dam Removals, Study Finds
Coral Reefs Are Running Out of Time to Recover, Research Finds

Β© Jason Gulley for The New York Times