Losing paradise in Barbuda

Written at a time when enslaved Africans were first brought to Antigua and Barbuda in the 17th century, John Milton’s “Paradise Lost” evokes the image of Robert De Niro as a cormorant/frigatebird four centuries later perched on the tree of life in prospect of Barbuda, the future site of his Nobu Beach Inn, “pervert[ing] best things / To worst abuse, or to their meanest use.” – Illustration: Julian Davis, AI by Julian Davis           Not many people have heard of Barbuda. The 62-square-mile island in the Caribbean with a population of roughly 1,800 is one of two that compose the nation of Antigua and Barbuda. The island has a fascinating and unique history. A fabled slave-breeding plantation owned by the Codrington family under the British, it was turned over to the former slaves inhabiting it after the Slavery Abolition Act went into effect in 1834. Their descendants have since maintained a system of communal land ownership without private property for nearly 200 years. Land use decisions have been stewarded by an elected council – with major development proposals requiring a referendum.& Consequently, it remains a practically untouched paradise of pink and white sand beaches and pristine ecosystems for rare wildlife, including...