The island of Barbuda is one half of the two-island nation of Antigua & Barbuda in the Caribbean.
It’s seeing some big changes: luxury resorts on the coast, a new airstrip in the center of the island and a new private residence to the North.
All are in development, backed by the central government in Antigua and wealthy outside investors, but they're opposed by communities on Barbuda looking to preserve their unique system of communal land ownership.
Some residents also want to protect Codrington Lagoon National Park, a wetland protected by an international treaty where two of these projects are ongoing.
Newsy spoke with local Barbudans and, working with our partners at Bellingcat, pored over dozens of documents related to the dispute — a dispute that could affect Barbuda’s defenses from powerful storms,and that could undermine a global effort to protect vulnerable environments.
