India's $9 billion megaproject threatens remote Great Nicobar Island's forests and indigenous tribes

Summary

The Indian government is spending $9 billion to build a megaport, airport, and city on Great Nicobar Island, one of the world's most isolated islands. The project threatens pristine tropical forests and the indigenous Shompen and Nicobarese tribes who inhabit the island. Environmentalists and scientists warn of irreversible ecological damage to a biodiversity hotspot, while the government frames the development as strategically important for trade and national security.