Protecting Paradise

Visitors landing at Providenciales, the most populated of the Caribbean's Turks and Caicos (kay-kos) Islands, are greeted with the sight of excavating cranes, while roaring bulldozers drone out the locals' gossipy banter. But the building frenzy goes far beyond the jaunty blue and lime-green walls of the new airport. It can be seen in the realty offices, golf courses, gambling casinos and luxury resorts springing up along the island's rough-hewn highway.

The islands are naturally rich in beauty and lures for the ecotourist, but rapid growth threatens the developing industry. Anticipating a surge in tourism, the country has begun a planning process that, it hopes, will curb unsustainable development and properly manage the islands' abundant but at-risk resources.

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