Facing the blue waters of Colombia's Pacific Ocean, businessmen set their sights on a giant port, but were met with resistance from Afro-Colombians and indigenous people from the Choco region, who successfully stopped the project and preserved a piece of paradise. The Gulf of Tribuga, which connects some 600 hectares of beaches, jungle and mangroves, was the scene of a battle between local communities and big business from 2006 to 2023, before Unesco declared it a biosphere reserve in June. IMAGES AND SOUNDBITES