Âé¶¹´«Ã½

Treasure island

By Fred Pearce

12 February 2000

A TINY British-owned Caribbean island earmarked for an American rocket launch pad is a miniature Galapagos with a dozen or more unique species that must be protected, according to an entomologist who has made a rare visit to the island. His unpublished report, seen by Âé¶¹´«Ã½, contradicts a claim made by the rocket company on its website that there are “no endangered or threatened species that use the island”.

Sombrero, a windswept 38-hectare island, is part of the British overseas territory of Anguilla. It is uninhabited except for a manned lighthouse. Two years ago, Andrew Beal, a Texas aerospace…

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