Galapagos damage caused by too much tourism must be stopped

by Amy Judd | February 11, 2009 at 04:05 pm

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Conservationists on the Galapagos Islands are warning that if tourism on the Galapagos Islands is not brought under control, the damage caused could be irreversible.

As Charles Darwin turns 200 tomorrow, the director of the Charles Darwin Foundation says that the only way to avoid disaster on these islands is to limit tourism. 173,000 tourists visited the islands last year.

"The Galapagos is still the best preserved archipelago in the world. But what's at stake if current trends continue is that the Galapagos will be lost. Yes the Galapagos will still be there but the richness will be lost."

The rising numbers have led to a boom in the construction of hotels and a surge in imports from mainland Ecuador.

Alien species that are introduced to the islands when people come can be fatal to some of the species that live there.
Fire ants are especially becoming a problem.

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Pythiian1

at 16:32 on February 11th, 2009

Great alert, Amy, thanks for the piece. It is a big concern that the Galapagos's natural habitat and eco-system would be damaged from the excess of the tourism industry,

thewamphyri

at 18:04 on February 11th, 2009

Melbourne Zoo, Australia.

thewamphyri has contributed a photo to this story.

kuuva

at 18:33 on February 11th, 2009

yeah this is too bad. it is hard for governments to turn money away. Really they should just start charging huge fee's. I know only the rich would get to see it, but sometimes that is the best we can do. who knows maybe they could build some type of enclosed walkways that people could view the animals? Or maybe, limit it to scientists only. Charge their universities a bunch of money. Many universities have huge endowments, and maybe they should use them for something beneficial?

once it is gone, it cannot be replaced.

158

at 19:50 on February 11th, 2009

This is a recurrent problem. An interesting, unspoiled place becomes publicized and is ruined from too much tourism.

Cammy2005

at 22:21 on February 11th, 2009

Even though I am one of those "evil" Galapagos tourists, I completely agree with this article. I was truly appalled by the lack of respect that many of the wealthy, ignorant tourists had for these Islands. They seemed to think the Galapagos was designed for their use (and abuse). I disagree completely. The Galapagos is unlike any other place in the universe and must be preserved in pristine condition. If this means I can never go there again, so be it.

Cammy2005 has contributed a photo to this story.

F...X13

at 23:47 on February 11th, 2009

Completely agree with this article. I think there is an excessive flow of tourism in Galapagos. It is an extremely fragile ecosystem and tourism is a big problem too.

F...X13 has contributed a photo to this story.

tikun

at 00:27 on February 12th, 2009

Thanks for the article. My daughter visited the islands a few years ago and said it was the most amazing places she has ever seen. However, she also reported that there was a lot of litter and human intervention in the areas visited.

Strana

at 01:20 on February 12th, 2009

This is a very difficult issue and I'd echo many of the comments above. My wife and I were privileged to visit a year ago and no programme or book does the Galapagos justice; visiting is a humbling experience. Whilst there remains no strict limit on tourism there is an element of control in the number of vessels that are licensed I believe. There is clearly an ever growing demand to travel here, high fees may indeed deter some. Some reasonable balance needs to be struck, total closure would simply not be practical as the lives of many locals are now dependent upon tourism, and without it there may be a temptation to resort to illegal fishing and hunting practises. The park authorities have made significant progress in exterminating introduced species though on islands where there are human settlements this is more problematic. Goats introduced in the 19th century that have 'adapted' to drinking seawater, real 'in your face evolution', are part of the extermination programme.

woodywidrow

at 06:35 on February 12th, 2009

it's a photo of a sea lion on the beach of one of the small islands off the south coast of Isabella

woodywidrow has contributed a photo to this story.

WaterPlanet

at 08:25 on February 12th, 2009

With all due respect to the author, this reads like a fragment of an article. Is this a work in progress? A little research may turn up experts' recommendations on what the maximum annual tourist visitation should be. And exotic fire ants are among the least of the problems faced by this priceless Eco-Wonderland. I do appreciate the author bringing this subject to light on the 200th anniversary of C. Darwin's birth and hope that my comments may inspire a more thorough treatment of the critical issues at hand.