Barbudans need your help to protect their environment & their right to communal ownership of their land.

Barbuda was hit by Hurricane Irma in 2017. It damaged around 90% of the island’s properties. In the aftermath, opportunistic developers moved in and began destroying protected parks and wetlands to make way for an airport runway, golf course, and luxury accommodation for the ultra wealthy. Land on the island was vested in the people of Barbuda when slavery was abolished. This unique communal arrangement is called a tenure system. Until now it has protected the island's way of life and its rich environment but it is now under attack.

In May 2023 GLAN lawyers visited Barbuda to increase support for land defenders who are facing legal harassment while fighting to protect their homeland, even being threatened with charges of sedition. Our team experienced first-hand the intimidation tactics used by private developers whose security filmed and followed our team, and called the police.

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While in Barbuda, we uncovered that U.S. developers have allegedly used connections to celebrities and high-profile individuals to push ahead with an ecologically destructive development, without adequately informing and consulting the Barbudan people. This is happening without respecting customary land rights. Read more about our visit here.

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Sign up to our newsletter for further updates on our work with Barbudan Land Defenders and consider donating to support our efforts to provide legal backing to the Barbuda Council and the Barbudans who are fighting to protect their island. To mark 5 years of Hurricane Irma devastating the island and all the consequences that ensured, GLAN issued a public statement on 6 September 2022. Read it here.