A sleepy, isolated island community inNicaragua, nestled at the foot of one of Central America's most active volcanoes,faces an uncertain future. But the danger doesn’t come from theperpetual risk of geological disaster. The threat is manmade.

这是一个安静、与世隔绝的岛屿群落，坐落于中美洲最活跃的火山之一的山脚下，岛民们面临着一个不确定的未来。但是，危险并不是来自一直以来的地质灾害风险，而是来自人为威胁。

Over the past decade, tourism to Isla Ometepehas grown as word of its Eden-like natural beauty has spread. But this dualvolcanic island in the middle of Lake Nicaragua, often dubbed a “mini-Amazon”,recently found itself at the centre of a controversial mega-engineeringproject: a Chinese-run, interoceanic canal that will be deeper and longer thanPanama’s, ideal for giant cargo ships.

在过去的十年里，随着奥梅特佩岛（Isla Ometepe）自然风光堪比伊甸园的消息不胫而走，该岛的旅游业发展迅速。位于尼加拉瓜湖（Lake Nicaragua）中部的这座双火山岛被誉为“迷你亚马逊”，但是最近该岛被纳入一项巨大的工程：这是一个中国项目，计划在这里开挖一条比巴拿马运河更深更长的连接两大洋的运河，非常适合大型货船通行。

The proposed 278km route, connecting theCaribbean Sea and Pacific Ocean, will carve through Lake Nicaragua, potentiallydisplacing the surrounding rainforest and threatening indigenous communities.The route will also bring the supertankers right past Ometepe’s Eden.

这条计划长达278 公里的运河连接加勒比海（Caribbean Sea）和太平洋（Pacific Ocean），从尼加拉瓜湖穿过，可能导致附近的雨林消失并威胁到附近的原住民部落。这条运河还会使得超大型油轮从奥梅特佩岛的伊甸园旁边经过。

Work on the canal officially began inDecember 2014, sparking a wave of protests from those who are worried about losingtheir homes, and the damage the canal might cause to the environment. Doubtshave also been raised over whether there will be enough funding to complete thecanal within the allotted five-year plan.

运河工程已于2014 年12 月正式启动，招致了一些担心失去家园和运河对环境造成破坏的人们的大规模抗议。人们还质疑，是否有充足的资金保证在所分配的五年计划时间内完成运河工程。

The 267sqkm island, home to a population ofjust under 30,000, receives about 40,000 visitors a year. Between the roughferry ride over and the island’s bone-shaking roads, it’s understandable thatvisitor numbers are still relatively low, even with the island’s incrediblebeauty.

这个267 平方公里的小岛，人口不足3 万，每年接待近4 万名游客。鉴于渡船旅程艰辛而且岛上的道路颠簸不平，可以理解游客人数还是相对较低，尽管岛上的风光美不胜收。

On the day that I crossed Lake Nicaragua –Central America's largest body of freshwater, so vast that SpanishConquistadors believed it was open sea – Isla Ometepe’s volcanoes were engulfedin a heavy cloud clover that burst as soon as I stepped onto the port. The lushvegetation beamed Day-Glo green against the remaining grey in the sky. Birdsand butterflies scattered while villagers carried on with their days. Turnsout, the only thing that moved fast here was the weather.

尼加拉瓜湖是中美洲最大的淡水水域，面积辽阔，以至于西班牙征服者将其误以为是大海。在我经过尼加拉瓜湖的那一天，奥梅特佩岛的火山上空乌云密布，我刚踏进码头，大雨便倾盆而下。远山含翠，映衬着仍然灰色的天空，呈现出一片荧光绿。鸟儿和蝴蝶轻飞曼舞，村民们生活恬静安然。实际上，这里唯一变得最快的就是天气。

I was staying at Hacienda Mérida, aformer farm/coffee-processing plant-turned-ecolodge located inVolcan MaderasNational Park. Its owner, Alvaro Molina, was one of the first to bring tourismto the island when he opened the lodge in 2001.

我住在海兹恩达梅里达旅馆（Hacienda Mérida），是个农场/咖啡加工厂改造成的生态旅馆，位于马德拉斯火山国家公园（Volcan Maderas National Park）里面。酒店老板阿尔瓦罗·莫利纳（AlvaroMolina）于2001 年开办了这家旅馆，是第一批将旅游业带到岛上的人之一。

A jetty from the lodge offereduninterrupted views of Conceptión, the 1,610m-tall, very active volcano thattowered over Lake Nicaragua. Ometepe's extinct volcano, Maderas, with itsjagged rainforest-covered peak, formed the lodge’s backdrop. Instead of trekking,swimming, kayaking, cycling and horse riding –all popularactivities here –I chose a hammock with a view, and flopped.

从旅馆的防波堤可以看到康塞普西翁火山（Conceptión）全景，这座火山高1,610 米，非常活跃，俯视着尼加拉瓜湖。旅馆的背景是奥梅特佩岛的马德拉斯死火山，山顶映衬着绵延起伏的雨林。在这里，徒步旅行、游泳、划皮艇、骑自行车和骑马都很流行，但我选择躺在吊床上看风景，而且心情激动。

The next morning, I set off early to kayakon Río Istiam, a river and swamp that cuts inland through the middle of thehourglass-shaped island. On the 3km paddle towards the river mouth, I passedvillagers swimming and fishing in the lake. My guide, Maykel Carillo, saidlocals used to stay out of the water because it was once infested with bull sharks.By the 1980s, overfishing and a shark fin trade wiped-out the population, butsome say a few still lurk under the surface. I dipped in my paddle with extra caution.

第二天早晨，我早早起来，到里约伊斯提姆河（Río Istiam）上划皮艇，这条河从沙漏状的岛屿中部贯穿而过，进入内陆。在划向河口的3 公里航程中，一路上我看到村民们在湖中游泳和钓鱼。我的导游马卡·卡里奥（Maykel Carillo）说，当地人习惯远离水边，因为这里一度公牛鲨（bull sharks）横行。截至20 世纪80 年代，过度捕捞和鱼翅交易使得公牛鲨灭绝，但是有些人说仍然有几只潜伏在水下。我愈发小心地划桨前行。