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January, 2006 Dear Friends, Tetiaroa is a pristine, uninhabited atoll located 35 miles north of Tahiti in French Polynesia. It was owned by Marlon Brando until 2005, approximately one year after his death, when it was sold by the trustees of his estate to a hotel developer. The atoll is unusual in that its fragile ecosystem is safeguarded by a living coral reef which surrounds it, protecting a six mile wide lagoon, 13 islets, some 30,000 sea birds, green sea turtle hatcheries, as well as the practically extinct blue coconut crab and the endangered giant mantis shrimp. I am concerned that a hotel and its unavoidable pollution will have an upsetting effect on the natural ecological system of the atoll. I believe it should be protected by the Government of French Polynesia. I recommend that an ecological baseline study be conducted before construction commences, and that yearly follow-up data be compiled in order to assess and to rectify any damage to the ecology. I believe these studies should be an integral part of the building and business permit process in Tahiti. The costs of the studies could be borne by the hotel developer before construction, and thereafter by the visitors to the atoll as a value added tax. Please write to: Oscar Temaru, President of French Polynesia La Presidence Papeete, Tahiti French Polynesia in support of these ideas. Thank you, Bernard Judge, Friends of Tetiaroa For more information, see:
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