The Last Flight of the Scarlet Macaw: One Woman's Fight to Save the World's Most Beautiful Bird

Barcott's lessons are important to anyone who cares about the fate of nature in the modern world, but they feel more like personal experiences than lessons as they emerge from the wonderful blend of history, politics, and science that he uses to tell the story of a hydroelectric dam that was recently built in previously undeveloped rainforest in the tiny Central American nation of Belize. Throw in exotic animals, even more exotic people, and a larger-than-life heroine who zooms around on a motorcycle, and you have a true-life eco-thriller that reads like a blend of John McPhee and Scott Turow.

I am a Belizean-American with an advanced degree in electrical engineering, a rare sub-species in my own right. I grew up in a family steeped in the history and politics of modern Belize -- many of the politicians named in this book are people whose careers and histories are intertwined with those of my own family. I have been to the unbelievably beautiful Belize Zoo with its amazing collection of animals and in 2004 I swam in a tributary of the Macal river with cascading pools like the one mentioned in the first chapter of the book. Belize is indeed a country blessed by God with beauty beyond its fair share and in general Belizeans jealously guard their natural resources. Belize's reputation as an eco-tourist haven is justly deserved. Mr. Barcott has written an incredible book capturing much of the culture and spirit of Belize and its people, a gem of an introduction to the complicated country I love. I strongly recommend reading this book not just for the narrative about the dam or the eco-politics surrounding it, but also as a way of understanding the impact that technology and engineering ethics (or lack thereof) can have on a developing population with a limited or biased exposure to the facts undergirding complex technical issues. This is a narrative filled with enough double-dealing, courtroom drama, dirty tricks, quirky eccentrics, natural beauty and noble causes to keep the most jaded reader enthralled.

In 1982 Sharon Matola, a feisty, curly-haired native from the rusty working-class town of Baltimore, left home for adventure - after some false starts hopping trains and training lions, she eventually landed in the green jungles of Central America where, in the tiny country of Belize (pop: 250,000), she created the first and only "zoo" (more like an animal rescue). Because of her passion for animals and the environment she earned a reputation as the 'Jane Goodall of Belize'. So it was inevitable when a corrupt Belize government wanted to build a fiscally questionable dam that would obliterate some of Belize's richest biological resources - including the unique roosting area of the beautiful but endangered Scarlet Macaw - she became the driving force behind a movement to stop powerful and shadowy forces. Bruce Barcott, an environmental journalist with Outside magazine based in Seattle Washington, heard about Matola's struggle and for a number of years followed her story as it went from a single womans crusade into an international turmoil involving Fortune 500 companies, the Canadian Government, movie stars and Englands secretive and rarely used highest court the Privy Council. _The Last Flight_ is structured as a "non-fiction narrative", meaning there is a main character (Matola) following an evolving story (struggle to stop the dam) in which the reader is kept in suspense to find out what happens. Along the way the author imparts factual background knowledge such as: a history of Belize; Belize culture and geography; Belize wildlife; a history of dams and the environment; wildlife extinction; backgrounds on institutions like the NRDC and Englands Privy Council; how companies and environmental groups operate during disputes. In both the suspense story and factual tangents Barcott has succeeded marvelously in creating a highly readable page turner. Rather than a black and white "man vs nature", Barcott reveals how ambiguous and complicated conservation is, often not a question of ethics but politics. This is a book about a tiny valley, an unknown woman in a country where fewer people live than most American counties. But it is a larger more important work, it is a window into the world of conservation struggles, an awareness of the Belize people, culture and geography, and most importantly a profile of Sharon whose passion and determination is an inspiration for anyone, in particular young women and men to follow their dreams and make a difference in the world.

I love this book, which is a strong statement coming from me, a guy who typically reads mysteries, science fiction and the occasional pulitzer winning novel. Typically I find non-fiction interesting at first but too dry and it rarely holds my interest for long. This book is a wonderful exception. I found it fascinating and informative from start to finish, it has a plotline filled with characters and events worthy of a Carl Hiaasen (One of my favorite authors) novel. I highly recommend reading The Last Flight Of The Scarlet Macaw.