Wildlife influencer raises awareness of conservationists’ opposition to Miami Wild project
Samiar Nefzi, Reporter | Andrea Torres. Digital Journalist
Luca Martinez releases video to raise awareness about conflict with public-private project next to Zoo Miami
MIAMI – The vision of a public-private partnership to build a water park that will attract more tourists to Zoo Miami started before Luca Martinez was born. It started before wildlife influencers were even a thing.
Martinez, who has 1.2 million followers on TikTok and 251,000 on Instagram, is an 18-year-old wildlife photographer who has been interested in conflicts between conservation and economic growth.
The Florida International University student said the county-owned land — which has been part of a process that started about three decades ago — needs to be protected.
“I care about this project because it’s my backyard,” Martinez said about why he decided to release a short video ahead of a commission vote on a lease agreement Tuesday.
Martinez joins the efforts of conservationists who are worried about the endangered bonneted bat, the only one in North America that uses an echo-location frequency when hunting that humans can hear. They want development to stay away from the Pine Rocklands, a habitat unique to South Florida and the Bahamas.
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