How about the riding? You may ask. Well, you’d be right because it wasn’t all dumpster diving. Two-thirds of Principe island are only visible by sea; UNESCO effectively transformed it into a biosphere reserve inaccessible by land. Only a sup can get us close without renting an expensive (and rare!) boat. Before our eyes rapt with wonder, a succession of immaculate ochre sand coves is followed by jungle falling into the sea. Far above and away, a huge waterfall surges over the towering canopy of ancient rocks. There is not a soul nor a building around. Contrary to her neighbor Sao Tomé, Principe was able to stand up against the evil promises of palm oil culture and its resultant deforestation, helped by Mark’s threat of withdrawal. On Sao Tomé, b usiness mogul Vincent Bolloré’s excavators (through his subsidiary company the SOCFIN) counted on a few hundred jobs to gloss over not only the destruction of biodiversity and the natural food supply. Besides being responsible for 30% of greenhouses gas emissions, deforestation also leads to the slowdown of rain in the water cycle by decreasing the natural transfer of humidity from the soil to the atmosphere. From our boards, we gaze at an immaculate landscape as old as the hills, saved by Principe inhabitants’ high struggles, and a good Samaritan who came down from his spaceship.
