Research File: Saba and Sint Maarten

This programme is part of the series Research File

“The Road” Along the Cliffs (© Richie Diesteheft)

Anne Blair-Gould visits two of the six Caribbean islands that make up the Netherlands Antilles. Saba is tiny, rocky and made up of sheer volcanic cliffs that drop straight into the sea on all sides. Remote and thinly inhabited, Saba has retained its original natural beauty, including Elfin forests that are home to rare species: the mountain mahogany, Antillean crested hummingbirds and the bridled quail dove, to name just a few.

A 20-minute flight away lies St. Martin, the Dutch half of the island is called Sint Maarten. Cursed by its white sandy beaches, it is a classic example of the environmental destruction and indifference to nature that goes with mass tourism, uncontrolled sewage and a general lack of planning and infrastructure.

Producer: Anne Blair-Gould

Broadcast: November 15, 1993

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