Together they've faced drought, fluctuating crop prices and encroaching development.

Nicholls also reveals the immense challenges facing the islands, which must continually balance conservation and ever encroaching development.

Now, a growing human population, ever- encroaching development and a globalised network of travel and trade have accelerated the pace of pandemic emergence.

That dubious honor is attributed to the region's encroaching development, subtropical climate and free-spirited residents who like to keep exotic species, Witmer said.

The campground has seen many changes, and even been threatened by encroaching development, but today is slated to expand, in a $2 million project.