FRIUILI VENEZA GIULIA or Friends of Earth (FOE) an Italian environmental group, is opposing the Tarvisio town, the venue for the 2006 Winter Olympics. They fear that the games would pose a threat to the rich biodiversity around the town. Valcanale, a suburban area, contains one of the last ancient forests of Europe. It is home to rare and endangered species such as brown bear, the lynx, the golden eagle and the feather feeted grouse. The protest would mean that Tarvisio may have to opt out of the stiff race to host the Winter Olympics. Investments worth us $ 755 million is expected to flow into the proposed Olympic zone. A motorway, a railway and many electric lines and gas pipelines have already been constructed, as preparation for the games in Valcanale area. The FOE wants the area to be built as a tourist attraction with more houses, hotels and ski resorts. "We want to enhance the value of the natural environment. In our view, ecologically sensitive tourism is the only sustainable alternative", says Roberto Giurastante, a spokesperson of FOE.
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