| Dear friends, The Maria Islands of St. Lucia are a special place. These government-protected nature reserves are home to five endemic reptile species, including the world's rarest snake, pygmy geckos, and the St. Lucia whiptail lizard. But now, St. Lucia's protected areas are under siege from resort developers who want to construct a new causeway to the islands, which would destroy this unique habitat in the process. The proposed causeway would join the two islands to mainland St. Lucia, and experts say it would devastate the ecosystem there. The islands currently support coral reefs, mangroves, and seagrass beds — three critically important tropical marine habitats. This is where fish, lobsters, crabs, and sea urchins come to breed. But the causeway would bury these habitats, causing unique local animals to go extinct. These lands are wondrous and irreplaceable. Countless animals rely on them to live. Until now, St. Lucia has used this natural beauty to encourage tourism in a careful, controlled manner to bring jobs to the area while preserving the environment. But as Kiki writes in her petition, "If we allow foreign developers to destroy everything that makes our island unique, there will be no reason for visitors to come here." Thank you for all that you do, | | Miranda B.
The Care2 Petitions Team |
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