More than 30 years ago, Mauro Morandi was attempting to sail from Italy to Polynesia when he ended up on Budelli, a small private island off Sardinia. Morandi, now 81, never left and eventually became the island's official caretaker. Above is a Great Big Story about Morandi from two years ago. Soon though, Morandi may get the boot. La Maddalena's National Park, owner of the island since 2015, plans to renovate Morandi's shack into an environmental observatory. From CNN:
"Our priority is to intervene against all illegal constructions inside the park, including Mauro's hut, a former World War II radio station which has undergone modifications which aren't in accordance with the rules. We need to set the example, protect our environment by first restoring this illegal structure ,and then move on with a new project which will likely be a scientific center for the spreading of environmental awareness," La Maddalena Park president Fabrizio Fonnesu tells CNN in Italian.[...]
"Nobody wants to chase him away, but what title does he have to stay since the island is no longer private?," says Fonnesu. "If in future there is the need to have a caretaker, we could reconsider his position, but when the works will start he must leave." [...]
Morandi, meanwhile, says that although the mere thought of leaving hurts him, he's more worried about the fate of the "pink atoll," so-called because of the rosy hue of its unique coral sand beach.
"Just the other day I chased away two tourists who were trespassing on the off-limits pink beach," he says. "I clean the rubbish off the sand and stop intruders from coming here to do mayhem at night. Truth is, I'm the only one who has so far taken care of Budelli, doing the surveillance task that the park authorities should do".
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