girellator
Contributor
Don't worry ..I'll be there ..in France we say : " pas de problème " !!!
Galapagos - Ecuadorean Presidential Decree
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ChrisM
Contributor
Heading back for my second trip this September. El Presidente is not stupid. At $100 per head to enter the Galapagos he isn't about to cut the head off that golden goose.
Interesting that just two years ago, before I went, the gov't caved to fishing pressure after fishermen took over the Darwin Research Station in a bid to get higher quotas (for urchins of all things, I assume for the Asian market).
Interesting that just two years ago, before I went, the gov't caved to fishing pressure after fishermen took over the Darwin Research Station in a bid to get higher quotas (for urchins of all things, I assume for the Asian market).
uwslate
Registered
Here also is the *actual* declaration itself, from the Charles Darwin Foundation website:
" http://www.presidencia.gov.ec/noticias.asp?noid=9057
The Government takes disciplinary measures in regard to Baltra incident and declares the Galapagos Islands “at risk.”
"Galapagos is the responsibility of the people of Galapagos"
The President of the Republic of Ecuador, Rafael Correa, has signed a decree in which he declared the conservation and environmental management of the Galapagos ecosystem “at risk and a national priority”. He also announced that the government has sent a sergeant to prison for nine days and removed the commanders of the Baltra air base and the Puerto Ayora harbormaster, besides opening administrative proceedings concerning the director of the Galapagos National Park, with respect to the incident on Baltra Island on March 16.
The President said that “responsibilities will continue to be determined” and decried the “lack of institutionalization” and the anarchy that prevail in the archipelago. This has led the government to declare Galapagos at risk and to put into effect measures “to overcome the grave institutional, environmental and social crisis that the islands are currently going through.”
President Correa stated that the government, with no need for prompting from international organizations, has decided to act and is “uncovering a latent problem that is the consequence of years of disregard and neglect by previous governments and that it is now high time to face with responsibility, earnestness and courage.”
The President pointed out that even more serious than the incidents in Baltra themselves are the “overlapping of duties, attempts to ride roughshod over others, and politicking that prevail in Galapagos,” to which are added “institutions with functions that are not heeded or are poorly defined,” resulting in the “need to put the institutions in the islands in order.”
Dismissals: President Correa explained that a commission had investigated the events on Baltra and established responsibilities, which has led to the relieving of the current and previous air base commanders of their posts for “allowing unauthorized tourist activities.”
Furthermore, the harbormaster of Puerto Ayora has been dismissed “for not providing immediate assistance to the injured park ranger,” and the Ecuadorian Air Force sergeant who assaulted a park ranger was sent to prison for nine days, thus preventing any future promotions.
Similarly, administrative proceedings are to be held concerning the National Park director "because she failed to observe several procedures when she set off without the harbormaster’s permission and without naval escort,” as required by agreements signed by the institutions involved.
Decree signed by the President of the Republic:
Whereas:
The Constitution of the Republic, in Articles 86 and 23 subsection 6, stipulates that the State protects and guarantees the right of the populace to live in a sound and ecologically balanced environment that ensures sustainable development;
And, accordingly, Article 239 of the Constitution provides that the Province of Galapagos is subject to a special set of rules and regulations for its conservation, protection, and management;
And in keeping with the provisions of the Special Law for the Conservation and Sustainable Development of the Province of Galapagos, it is the duty of the State of Ecuador to safeguard the conservation of the National Resources of both marine and terrestrial areas, as well as the development of the adjacent human settlements, and to adopt legal measures aimed at promoting a compatible relationship with the inhabitants located in the Province of Galapagos;
And pursuant to the provisions of Article 239 of the Constitution of Ecuador, the Governor of the Province of Galapagos presides over the Council of the National Institute of Galapagos –INGALA– the sole planning and decision-making body whose resolutions are mandatory under the Special Management Law for the province;
And Articles 11,*12 and 15 of the Special Law for the Conservation and Sustainable Development of the Province of Galapagos (LOREG) stipulate that the National Resources of Protected Areas in the Province of Galapagos will be administered and managed by the Ministry of the Environment through the Galapagos National Park Service;
And the ecological, economic, and social viability of the various sustainable development policies for the Province of Galapagos are in imminent danger and it is necessary to define the most appropriate strategy to control bio-invasion;
And it is necessary to take measures and implement actions to prevent the deterioration of the habitat and ecological impact on the delicate balance of species coexisting in the Galapagos National Park and the Galapagos Marine Reserve;
And it is necessary to organize the intervention of the Ecuadorian State through organizations involved in actions associated with policies, strategies and projects in the Province of Galapagos; therefore,
By virtue of the powers vested in him by law,
He decrees:
Article 1.- The conservation and environmental management of the ecosystem of the Archipelago of Galapagos is declared at risk and a national priority.
Article 2.- The Governor of the Province of Galapagos, as President of the National Institute of Galapagos (INGALA) is ordered to call an urgent meeting of the INGALA Council, within 15 days,*to address and formulate policies on the following agenda:
1.Determination of the current state of conservation, development, and well-being of the archipelago and its marine reserve.
2.*Determination of the effectiveness of the total control of introduced species
3.*Analysis of the possible temporary suspension of new tourism licenses and air-transport operation permits.
4.* Analysis of the possible temporary suspension of residence permits.
5.* Prioritization of the enforcement of provisions set forth in Articles 4 and 6 of the LOREG.
6.* Coordination of the compliance with the jurisdictions and fulfillment of the responsibilities of each of the institutions carrying out their activities in the Province of Galapagos.
7.* Arrangement of a population census to be performed in the Archipelago, and return to the continent of those inhabitants found to be illegally on the islands.
Article 3.- The Ecuadorian Agricultural Health Service (SESA) and the Galapagos Inspection and Quarantine Service (SICGAL) are ordered to submit to the INGALA Council, with due urgency, a report on the control of invasive species in the Province of Galapagos and on all other procedures and actions implemented by these agencies. In addition, they must submit, in coordination with the Ministry of the Environment, a proposal for the eradication of the major introduced species, along with the financial and technical requirements for doing so.
Article 4.- Through the Ministry of Economy and Finance, provision is to be made for the allocation of whatever economic resources may be necessary to implement this Decree and the resolutions that may be adopted by the INGALA Council, the Ministry of the Environment, SESA,* SICGAL and the Ministry for the Coordination of Internal and External Security with respect to the current situation in the Province of Galapagos.
General Provision.-* The Governor of the Province of Galapagos, who presides at INGALA Council sessions, will have the deciding vote should there be no majority in the decisions taken by this body.
Final Provision.- The Ministers of Economy and Finance, Agriculture and Livestock, Environment, Tourism, and Internal and External Security Coordination are responsible for carrying out this decree, which will go into effect as of this date, without detriment to its publication in the Official Gazette.
Issued at the Government Palace in Quito on Tuesday, April 10, 2007.
Rafael Correa Delgado
Constitutional President of the Republic
Ricardo Patiño Aroca
Minister of Economy and Finance
Carlos Vallejo López
Minister of Agriculture and Livestock
Anita Albán Mora
Minister of the Environment
Fernando Bustamante
Minister for the Coordination of Internal and External Security
N.b This translation is not verbatim but reflects with accuracy the content."
" http://www.presidencia.gov.ec/noticias.asp?noid=9057
The Government takes disciplinary measures in regard to Baltra incident and declares the Galapagos Islands “at risk.”
"Galapagos is the responsibility of the people of Galapagos"
The President of the Republic of Ecuador, Rafael Correa, has signed a decree in which he declared the conservation and environmental management of the Galapagos ecosystem “at risk and a national priority”. He also announced that the government has sent a sergeant to prison for nine days and removed the commanders of the Baltra air base and the Puerto Ayora harbormaster, besides opening administrative proceedings concerning the director of the Galapagos National Park, with respect to the incident on Baltra Island on March 16.
The President said that “responsibilities will continue to be determined” and decried the “lack of institutionalization” and the anarchy that prevail in the archipelago. This has led the government to declare Galapagos at risk and to put into effect measures “to overcome the grave institutional, environmental and social crisis that the islands are currently going through.”
President Correa stated that the government, with no need for prompting from international organizations, has decided to act and is “uncovering a latent problem that is the consequence of years of disregard and neglect by previous governments and that it is now high time to face with responsibility, earnestness and courage.”
The President pointed out that even more serious than the incidents in Baltra themselves are the “overlapping of duties, attempts to ride roughshod over others, and politicking that prevail in Galapagos,” to which are added “institutions with functions that are not heeded or are poorly defined,” resulting in the “need to put the institutions in the islands in order.”
Dismissals: President Correa explained that a commission had investigated the events on Baltra and established responsibilities, which has led to the relieving of the current and previous air base commanders of their posts for “allowing unauthorized tourist activities.”
Furthermore, the harbormaster of Puerto Ayora has been dismissed “for not providing immediate assistance to the injured park ranger,” and the Ecuadorian Air Force sergeant who assaulted a park ranger was sent to prison for nine days, thus preventing any future promotions.
Similarly, administrative proceedings are to be held concerning the National Park director "because she failed to observe several procedures when she set off without the harbormaster’s permission and without naval escort,” as required by agreements signed by the institutions involved.
Decree signed by the President of the Republic:
Whereas:
The Constitution of the Republic, in Articles 86 and 23 subsection 6, stipulates that the State protects and guarantees the right of the populace to live in a sound and ecologically balanced environment that ensures sustainable development;
And, accordingly, Article 239 of the Constitution provides that the Province of Galapagos is subject to a special set of rules and regulations for its conservation, protection, and management;
And in keeping with the provisions of the Special Law for the Conservation and Sustainable Development of the Province of Galapagos, it is the duty of the State of Ecuador to safeguard the conservation of the National Resources of both marine and terrestrial areas, as well as the development of the adjacent human settlements, and to adopt legal measures aimed at promoting a compatible relationship with the inhabitants located in the Province of Galapagos;
And pursuant to the provisions of Article 239 of the Constitution of Ecuador, the Governor of the Province of Galapagos presides over the Council of the National Institute of Galapagos –INGALA– the sole planning and decision-making body whose resolutions are mandatory under the Special Management Law for the province;
And Articles 11,*12 and 15 of the Special Law for the Conservation and Sustainable Development of the Province of Galapagos (LOREG) stipulate that the National Resources of Protected Areas in the Province of Galapagos will be administered and managed by the Ministry of the Environment through the Galapagos National Park Service;
And the ecological, economic, and social viability of the various sustainable development policies for the Province of Galapagos are in imminent danger and it is necessary to define the most appropriate strategy to control bio-invasion;
And it is necessary to take measures and implement actions to prevent the deterioration of the habitat and ecological impact on the delicate balance of species coexisting in the Galapagos National Park and the Galapagos Marine Reserve;
And it is necessary to organize the intervention of the Ecuadorian State through organizations involved in actions associated with policies, strategies and projects in the Province of Galapagos; therefore,
By virtue of the powers vested in him by law,
He decrees:
Article 1.- The conservation and environmental management of the ecosystem of the Archipelago of Galapagos is declared at risk and a national priority.
Article 2.- The Governor of the Province of Galapagos, as President of the National Institute of Galapagos (INGALA) is ordered to call an urgent meeting of the INGALA Council, within 15 days,*to address and formulate policies on the following agenda:
1.Determination of the current state of conservation, development, and well-being of the archipelago and its marine reserve.
2.*Determination of the effectiveness of the total control of introduced species
3.*Analysis of the possible temporary suspension of new tourism licenses and air-transport operation permits.
4.* Analysis of the possible temporary suspension of residence permits.
5.* Prioritization of the enforcement of provisions set forth in Articles 4 and 6 of the LOREG.
6.* Coordination of the compliance with the jurisdictions and fulfillment of the responsibilities of each of the institutions carrying out their activities in the Province of Galapagos.
7.* Arrangement of a population census to be performed in the Archipelago, and return to the continent of those inhabitants found to be illegally on the islands.
Article 3.- The Ecuadorian Agricultural Health Service (SESA) and the Galapagos Inspection and Quarantine Service (SICGAL) are ordered to submit to the INGALA Council, with due urgency, a report on the control of invasive species in the Province of Galapagos and on all other procedures and actions implemented by these agencies. In addition, they must submit, in coordination with the Ministry of the Environment, a proposal for the eradication of the major introduced species, along with the financial and technical requirements for doing so.
Article 4.- Through the Ministry of Economy and Finance, provision is to be made for the allocation of whatever economic resources may be necessary to implement this Decree and the resolutions that may be adopted by the INGALA Council, the Ministry of the Environment, SESA,* SICGAL and the Ministry for the Coordination of Internal and External Security with respect to the current situation in the Province of Galapagos.
General Provision.-* The Governor of the Province of Galapagos, who presides at INGALA Council sessions, will have the deciding vote should there be no majority in the decisions taken by this body.
Final Provision.- The Ministers of Economy and Finance, Agriculture and Livestock, Environment, Tourism, and Internal and External Security Coordination are responsible for carrying out this decree, which will go into effect as of this date, without detriment to its publication in the Official Gazette.
Issued at the Government Palace in Quito on Tuesday, April 10, 2007.
Rafael Correa Delgado
Constitutional President of the Republic
Ricardo Patiño Aroca
Minister of Economy and Finance
Carlos Vallejo López
Minister of Agriculture and Livestock
Anita Albán Mora
Minister of the Environment
Fernando Bustamante
Minister for the Coordination of Internal and External Security
N.b This translation is not verbatim but reflects with accuracy the content."
OP
djac5700
Contributor
Thank you uwslate for posting this, it was very informative...
All those booked on the Deep Blue trips in particular, I hope all goes well for you - but I would absolutely advocate taking out insurance on the trip. I was on the Deep Blue last year and had a fantastic trip, the boat is great, good food, superb crew and guides, awesome diving - but I have to say I found the agent (both in the States and in Quito) less than helpful to deal with. So hopefully all will go according to plan and you'll have as good a trip as I did - but in the unlikely event of anything going wrong I wouldn't want to be relying on the agent for too much to be honest.
OP
djac5700
Contributor
Thanks for the tip, guido. I plan on purchasing my trip insurance soon. Any recommendations on where to buy it? Did you buy it last year? If so, how much did you pay?
EnronX
Contributor
Guido, as you can probably tell we're voraciously reading whatever we can get our hands on about the Galapagos...did you happen to write up a trip report? I'd be curious to hear your impressions of Darwin and Wolf Islands...I've heard they really are the apex of the trip:
Below is an article I found from a British newspaper regarding the EU spending $ in the islands for trash removal:
We pay for Galapagos Islands waste services
By Claire Ward-Willis
A TAUNTON woman is incensed after learning British taxpayers money is being spent on paying for waste disposal services on the other side of the world.
Pat Gwynn and her husband Alan were enjoying dinner at a restaurant on the island of Santa Cruz, in the Galapagos Islands, when a dustcart went past bearing a EU flag with the words financed by the European Union on it.
They were furious to see that money from Europe was being spent on providing refuse facilities for a country 1,000 miles off the coast of Ecuador, and when they returned home decided to try and find out why.
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Mrs Gwynn said: "I wrote to our MEP Graham Watson to try and find out why we were paying for this service, but didn't really get an answer, I have just been passed from pillar to post.
"I have now been told that the EU funds part of the waste services on the Galapagos Islands because most of the waste is being made by increasing numbers of visitors but that's ridiculous.
"A lot of visitors don't stay on the islands, but go on cruises instead so they do not create a lot of waste.
"Also before anyone is allowed to leave the airport they have to pay a $100 fee (around £50) for entering the national parks.
"Last year 200,000 people visited the islands, which works out at $20million, surely some of that could cover the cost of their waste service."
Mrs Gwynn was also annoyed that the dustcarts made collections every night, whereas in Taunton and Wellington landfill rubbish is only collected every two weeks.
But Mr Watson said the EU is simply trying to balance out some of the damage European visitors were causing.
Therefore it had agreed to spend some of its development funding helping get rid of the their waste.
He said: "Some 95% of the development funding from the EU goes to low income countries but some does go to middle income countries such as this.
"The islands did not have the facilities to getting rid of the amount of rubbish that was being produced so the EU has part funded a scheme to help."
http://www.somersetcountygazette.co..._pay_for_galapagos_islands_waste_services.php
Below is an article I found from a British newspaper regarding the EU spending $ in the islands for trash removal:
We pay for Galapagos Islands waste services
By Claire Ward-Willis
A TAUNTON woman is incensed after learning British taxpayers money is being spent on paying for waste disposal services on the other side of the world.
Pat Gwynn and her husband Alan were enjoying dinner at a restaurant on the island of Santa Cruz, in the Galapagos Islands, when a dustcart went past bearing a EU flag with the words financed by the European Union on it.
They were furious to see that money from Europe was being spent on providing refuse facilities for a country 1,000 miles off the coast of Ecuador, and when they returned home decided to try and find out why.
advertisement
Mrs Gwynn said: "I wrote to our MEP Graham Watson to try and find out why we were paying for this service, but didn't really get an answer, I have just been passed from pillar to post.
"I have now been told that the EU funds part of the waste services on the Galapagos Islands because most of the waste is being made by increasing numbers of visitors but that's ridiculous.
"A lot of visitors don't stay on the islands, but go on cruises instead so they do not create a lot of waste.
"Also before anyone is allowed to leave the airport they have to pay a $100 fee (around £50) for entering the national parks.
"Last year 200,000 people visited the islands, which works out at $20million, surely some of that could cover the cost of their waste service."
Mrs Gwynn was also annoyed that the dustcarts made collections every night, whereas in Taunton and Wellington landfill rubbish is only collected every two weeks.
But Mr Watson said the EU is simply trying to balance out some of the damage European visitors were causing.
Therefore it had agreed to spend some of its development funding helping get rid of the their waste.
He said: "Some 95% of the development funding from the EU goes to low income countries but some does go to middle income countries such as this.
"The islands did not have the facilities to getting rid of the amount of rubbish that was being produced so the EU has part funded a scheme to help."
http://www.somersetcountygazette.co..._pay_for_galapagos_islands_waste_services.php
uwslate
Registered
Perhaps the park could just mail back the trash to the UK. 
girellator
Contributor
guido74:
With who did you made your reservation ??
Thank
ChrisM
Contributor
Not Guido, but Darwin/Wolf were definitely the apex of our 2005 trip, although whale shark sightiings at Darwin were down. We saw 5-6 over 3 days, but the couple weeks before us were skunked entirely (and early Sept., prime WS season)EnronX:
The diving at Wolf was awesome. There's basically one or two spots, Landslide, and you go either right or left bassed on current, and then some caves up north, which we didn't do. Landslide almost got routine... panga up, drop down to 60-70, wait for the show. Huge schools of hammers moving in from the blue, I mean just a solid wall. A school of Galapagos sharks (probably 30-40) would cruise right through our group, in front, behind, all around... into the current, then double back around with the current... and start all over again. A school of eagle rays would hang motionless above your head while all this is going on.
This isn't the best pic, but I took a shot with a slow shutter speed, making the sharks blurry, but the rays are in focus (mostly). They stayed for a good 10 minutes.
Pop off the rocks at 30-40 minutes, float into the blue. Rinse on the boat... repeat for 4 days. Seriously. We'd see the same eagle ray with the same cut in its wing over the course of almost every dive. Sometimes we'd drop down to exactly the same spot we were in last time and it was like we never left. Same sharks, same rays....
Darwin. Darwin has one dive site, again on a ledge. Hammer show. Until you hear the DM banging his tank, out into the blue for whale sharks. Back to the wall if you can get there. If not, drift into the blue.
Usually we would drift left (facing into the blue), into the Driveway, a reltively shallow sandy area, lots of hammers down below. If the current was right, drift right. Deeper around the outside of Darwin. You don't want to come around on the windward side of the arch.
at both Wolf and Darwin you can pick your depth, from 100+ up to 30, pretty easily, as its a slope to the surface. After 20-40 minutes, pop off the wall, drift to your stop. Mantas, silkies, tuna, schools of jacks, etc on the drifting stop.
awesome diving
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