Residents of the island sued a company that destroyed local forests for 14 years (27 photos)

On Rendova Island in the Pacific, a lumber company with cut down forests in the 2000s. It is in these forests that the local community. People began to actively fight the company, destroy bulldozers, to sue in order to protect the land and resources .. All this resembles a plot "Avatar". The legal battle went on for 14 years.





In 2000, a large logging company began mass destruction of trees on the island of Rendova, in the Solomon Islands. It is in the forest where a small community lives for many years - and lumberjacks literally destroyed their homes and places of residence. People started actively defend their land, and the legal battle with the company began later, but lasted for 14 years. Finally, after so many years of litigation the inhabitants of the island won a court case, and a large logging company companies were banned from destroying local forests.



"The battle for territory here has been going on for ages. The locals stopped cars and bulldozers that destroy forests where they lived for years. My people were disappointed with this attitude towards nature, and also corruption in the government, and decided to take matters into their own hands. The trial, which lasted a good 14 years, is finally over, and justice has prevailed. Perhaps our decision was not correct .. Every medal has two sides. Loggers just were doing their job, and we were trying to protect our home. Hard to say, who is right here,” said one of the local residents of the community.





According to local residents, over the years the company has already destroy a significant part of the forest, but still most of the resources managed to save. In addition, the bulldozers that were so fought community members polluted the local river, and due to loss of habitat many animals have gone from here. Now that the inhabitants of the island of Rendova won the case, they return to their usual way of life, begin reclaim the land and live without struggle.



The river where the locals bathe and wash their clothes



Men stand on a felled tree



The wreckage of one of the logging company's bulldozers












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The process of cooking on hot coals








Fishing










A woman carries stones from the ocean. Locals heat stones in a fire, and then cook food on them








Manioc or cassava - food tropical plant