‘The Galapagos Islands as we know them face extinction…’
Mass-market tourism has put the naturalist’s paradise and eco-tourism beacon on the UNESCO list of World Heritage in danger.This cluster of volcanic islands 1,000km off the coast of Ecuador is regarded as one of the most important wildlife reserves in the World and is one of the primed eco-tourism destinations in the Planet. However, between the lax environmental regulations of the past and the Jessica oil spill of 2001, conservation problems have made it a controversial destination for those with a carbon conscience.
“The early model of tourism was designed to fund conservations efforts so the two things have always interlinked,” explains Toni Darton, chief executive of the UK-based Galapagos Conservation Trust (http://www.savegalapagos.org/).
The national park guides repeatedly insist greater damage is done by introducing species (feral goats are
responsible for the extinction of five endemic species) than tourism. Most park guides agree that educating the locals & the tourist agencies rather than reducing the islands’ main source of income is the key to sustainability.
Since the best way to see the Galapagos is by cruise, organisations are starting to develop green tourism techniques. Companies such as Metropolitan Touring make sure their three boats use locally produced food, produce their own water (about ten tons a day apparently!) recycle & stock up on eco-toiletries. It’s not rare for example to hear the guests arguing over wether it’s better to use non-biodegradable sunscreen or risk burning (the biodegradable on is not waterproof)
Long considered benign guardians of this fragile paradise, tourists could be about to evolve into destructive parasites. Yet tourism remains the archipelago’s best hope. Visitors and those who cater for them have become part of the ecosystem. They cannot be eradicated. How they are managed is the key to preserving biodiversity in this living museum.
