One Final Galapagos Note

The Galapagos is a wonderful place. It is more than just a tropical island; it is a unique ecosystem—home to many endemic plants and animals. A species is endemic when it occurs only in a certain area. There are species endemic to the United States, North America, etc. But to be endemic to an archipelago of only 7882 sq km is pretty amazing and some plants and animals are endemic to certain islands in the Galapagos. Basically it is the only place in the world you can see the wildlife that occurs there.

All of this ecological rarity has spawned many conservation efforts. There is the Galapagos National Park (GNP) and the Charles Darwin Station (CDS) in the islands and many Non-Governmental Organizations (NGO’s) worldwide who work to preserve the islands. They have done well so far considering 95% of the islands are biologically original. Still there are many threats to the Galapagos today:

*Introduced species are a major threat to the endemic and native species of the islands. Introduced species are those that are brought by humans. Cats, dogs, goats, pigs, and cows are all examples of introduced species. None of these existed on the islands before humans and they are all causing problems. Grazing animals like cows and goats not only trample the ground eliminating plants and causing erosion, but they also create competition for native herbivores of the islands. Giant tortoises were able to grow and flourish on these islands because they were the only herbivores. Slowly their habitats are disappearing. Cats and dogs do things such as endanger local bird and iguana populations. Rats feed on baby turtles. Raspberry bushes are plants introduced to the islands and have become very successful at blotting out native/endemic plants. There is now approximately 700+ introduced plant species compared to the 500-600 native species.

There are many projects through the Galapagos National Park to eradicate all of the introduced species. Introduced animals are much easier to control than introduced plants or insects. One project were we told about was the Judas Goat. Goats gather in herds and one goat will seek out herds to join. So they put a tracking device on a goat and let it lead them to the herds so the goats could be removed from the islands. The government also tries to enforce strict guidelines as to what can be brought to and transferred within the islands.

*Fishing has grown to become a major source of income for people in the Galapagos. Unfortunately they have not managed their resources and fish stocks are depleting rapidly. The GNP recognized this and has tried to place restrictions on the fishermen. This has resulted in riots, strikes, and even threats to Lonely George. They have formed a local government that mediates between the fisherman and GNP to set seasons and limits for fish, though the system is only part-way working. There is still a lot of illegal fishing taking place. Shark fins are a very big, very profitable, very illegal market; though it happens a lot. One pound of shark fins equals $100 when a weeks worth of work equals $30-40. Sea cucumbers also cause many conflicts because of the growing demand and receding populations.

*Immigration is another problem. As of the last nation census, the Galapagos has 18,000 or so permanent residents. It is estimated now there are really 25,000-30,000 people living in the Galapagos. People come to live there because the economy of the islands is higher and much more stable than that of the mainland. A person can make twice as much money in the Galapagos. Immigration here causes many of the same problems it does in the United States: illegal residents are willing to work for less; they deplete the pool of resources, etc. The law states that only permanent residents are permitted to live on the islands. To be a permanent resident a person has to be born in the Galapagos, lived in the Galapagos 5 years prior to 1998 (when these laws were established), or marry a permanent resident.

Immigration is detrimental to the Galapagos because of the development it creates. The more people that are on the islands, the bigger environmental impact they make. The people of the islands want to live like everyone else—pure, running water; paved roads; good education; employment; etc. It is difficult to cater to these people and give them what they demand and deserve when it means harming the ecosystem of the Galapagos. More people cause more trash, more air pollution, more land clearing, more food needed…the list goes on forever.

*Tourism. This goes hand-in-hand with my previous bullet points. The locals want more tourism because this means more money for their community. (Right now most of the tourism is contracted outside of the Galapagos as part of an earlier plan to conserve the islands. Of the $400 million dollars brought to the Galapagos by tourists, only 15-20% stays in the islands with the local people.) They want hotels and restaurants, the whole works. The same thing happened to Hawaii and there is less than 20% of this archipelago is unchanged by man.

There is beginning to be a shift in the type of tourists that visit the Galapagos. It began with nature lovers and evolutionist wishing to come and appreciate the history and the uniqueness of the Galapagos. It is slowly changing. People are now visiting the Galapagos not because it is the Galapagos, but because it is a tropical island. They want to surf and hang glide and lay on the beach, all with luxury. This type of tourism would attract more tourists (more money), but the value of the Galapagos per visitor would slowly decrease.

Ok. This is a quick, probably poor, briefing about the problems facing the Galapagos Islands. They are all interconnected and pretty complicated. Most of what happens in the islands is political, but Ecuador is very unstable politically. Every time the people of Ecuador become upset with the government, they march in the streets, riot, and overthrow it. They have had 3 presidents in the last 5 years (4 year terms) and are currently constructing they’re 23rd constitution. There are many organizations and governments working to preserve the Galapagos, but none of them have the same vision. We spent a lot of time in class discussing these problems and possible solutions.