Investment firm YIDA International recently purchased 1600 acres of undeveloped coastal land with the intention of building a huge, billion-dollar tourist development on it. Hard Rock International, owners of the Hard Rock Cafe and Casinos, has announced they will be the first to build on the land.

The land is a delicate marine ecosystem that lies within a Marine Reserve Area, but despite these legal protections, plans indicate the clearing of marshes, mangroves, mud flats, coral reefs, and critical nesting vegetation.

Completion of the project would mean either breaking laws, or changing them to allow for ill-advised development.

These habitats have provided for the people of these islands for more than 4000 years. These ecosystems also protect the Antiguan and Barbudan people from the growing threat of climate change, such as rising sea levels. The mangroves are potentially life-saving buffers against storm surges caused by hurricanes, and are crucial  nurseries for fish as well as the habitat of many birds and other species.

It’s not too late for Hard Rock to pull out of this deal that’s bad for the environment, the people of the islands, and their own brand. Hard Rock International actively supports environmental initiatives, yet they were the first to sign on to build on these fragile coastal lands. Rather than building on this new site, Hard Rock should use existing developed locations. Antigua and Barbuda need investment and jobs, but any development on the islands must be constructed with the future in mind.

If Hard Rock truly wants to “do well by doing good in [their] Local and Global communities,” as their mission statement claims, they will end this bad deal in Antigua and Barbuda now.