The Struggle for Environmental Justice in Vieques, Puerto Rico

A Study on Residents' Perceptions and Attitudes Towards the Vieques National Wildlife Refuge in Puerto Rico

“…The demands became the demilitarization, decontamination, devolution and sustainable development of the lands that were rightfully owned by the Viequense. Mass mobilizations, constant pickets, thousands of civil disobedience acts, international involvement and attention from the media occurred during the subsequent four years from the incident (McCaffrey, 2008). In 2003, the US Navy retreated from Vieques; however, only 4,250 acres of the previously occupied land was transferred to the Municipality of Vieques and another 800 acres to the Puerto Rico Conservation Trust (Baver, 2012).…”

“…The Navy trained on Vieques an average of 180 days annually during the 1980s and the 1990s, dropping or firing an average of 1,328,118 kilograms of bombs and explosives per year (McCaffrey, 2008). In 1998 alone, the Navy dropped approximately 23,000 bombs on the island, the majority (approximately 16,000) of which contained live explosives (Marques & FernandezPortes, 2001).…”

“…Overall, the Navy had total control of transportation and development in civilian areas with their dominance over nautical routes, flight paths, and zoning laws (McCaffrey, 2006b;McCaffrey, 2008). Land expropriations occurred in the West and East sides of the island, leaving the civil population wedged between the newly acquired naval lands.…”

“…According to McCaffrey (2008), protests erupted in response to the intensification of maneuvers and live-fire exercises on the island in the late 1970s. Between 1978 and1983, fisherman led a dramatic grassroots struggle against the military presences in Vieques (McCaffrey, 2008). Their main motivation was the impacts of military activities on their fishing livelihoods.…”

“…After the cessation of military activities over a decade ago, there is still a legacy of contamination inherited by US Navy occupation because of warfare training and related activities that released hazardous substances into the environment (McCaffrey, 2008). Furthermore, the unexploded ordnance left behind poses further health and safety issues (McCaffrey, 2006).…”