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REAL-LIFE 'DAVID AND GOLIATH' IS 'REAL MACAW'

One woman's fight against government and big business in 'The Last Flight of the Scarlet Macaw'

Date published: 3/30/2008

MANY OF US have nev- er heard of the tiny country of Belize sandwiched between Guatemala, Mexico and the Caribbean Sea. For more than one hundred years this developing country was known as British Honduras, having achieved its independence quite recently.

Belize is home to a myriad of exotic and endangered animals and birds. Tapirs, jaguars, pumas, river otters, and howler monkeys all call the jungles and rivers of the country their home. Most exotic of all is the scarlet macaw.

"The Last Flight of the Scarlet Macaw" is the account of an effort made by a small group of environmentalists to save the macaw and all of the other endangered animals from the construction of a dam that would wipe out a large portion of the jungle along with the habitat of many birds and animals. From all accounts, only 200 mating scarlet macaws were left in the jungles of Belize.

The government of the country decided that an additional source of power was needed. Many citizens had no access to electricity, and those that did often experienced power outages. Officials decided that a dam would solve their problems and would also make this small group of officials a tidy sum.

Author Bruce Barcott tells the story of Sharon Matola who recruited a small but passionate group of people to attempt to prevent the dam's construction. Along the way, Sharon sought assistance from the Natural Resources Defense Council to mount a six-year campaign to stop its realization. The battle was waged against the government of Belize and a multinational corporation.

After living many different lives, Sharon had settled in Belize and opened a zoo, where she rescued many different animals and nursed them back to health. She opened the zoo to help defray expenses and to show people what a wonderful natural resource they had.

Although she had lived in Belize for many years, Sharon was always considered an outsider.

In addition to being an outsider, Sharon faced many other barriers along the way. To stop her campaign, the government decided to place a garbage dump next to the zoo. Officials called her an enemy of the people and tried in many ways to stop her. Only with the intervention of Princess Anne of Great Britain did the garbage dump plan get shelved.

This is a David and Goliath story that stays suspenseful until the last page. Bruce Barcott captures the tension and passion of Sharon Matola and her allies. He paints a vivid picture of a developing country and its struggles to modernize at the expense of its natural resources.

Kathy Habel is a freelance reviewer living in Spotsylvania.

THE LAST FLIGHT OF THE SCARLET MACAW By Bruce Barcott (Random House, $26)

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Date published: 3/30/2008