Gorgona Island is a natural jewel of volcanic origin, covered with a lush tropical jungle, surrounded by mountains and a refuge for humpback whales among other marine species in the Pacific Ocean.
The construction of a military complex there by the Navy aroused the rejection of environmentalists who filed a popular action in November to stop the works, while demanding that President Gustavo Petro be consistent with his environmental program.
The plaintiffs hope that a judge will take a precautionary measure and stop the ongoing construction due to the ecological impact.
Smaller than the Galapagos archipelago, a world biosphere reserve located 1,400 km to the west, the Gorgona Natural Park is a 60,000-hectare protected area that is home to several endemic species.
The reserve emerged from the remains of a prison that instilled terror in Colombia.
From the 1960s until its closure in 1984, the most dangerous criminals were confined there and subjected to torture.
Today tourists replace convicts, attracted by coral reefs, exotic animals and the thickness of the forest 64 km from the mainland.
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