cdiver2
Contributor
Posted on Mon, Dec. 26, 2005
Galápagos Islands face a complex stream of threatsEconomic, political and environmental pressures are squeezing Ecuador's ecologically fragile Galápagos Islands.BY STEVEN DUDLEYsdudley@MiamiHerald.comPUERTO AYORA, Ecuador - The town of Puerto Ayora might be the cleanest in Latin America. It recycles everything from lubricants to batteries. The number of cars allowed is limited. Birds dive into the bay to catch the bountiful fish. And sea lions sun themselves all around.
But Puerto Ayora has a problem: It's in Ecuador's Galápagos Islands, which have an ecosystem as fragile as the wings of a butterfly.
With its burgeoning population, an endless stream of tourists, an insatiable and powerful fishing industry and a corrupt and unstable national government, the islands -- as Charles Darwin knew them when he visited in the 19th century and developed his famed origin of species theory -- may be headed for extinction.
''If the situation remains the same, it will be catastrophic for the Galápagos,'' said Xavier Bustamante, the head of the Natura Foundation, an Ecuadorean non-governmental organization that monitors the country's protected lands.
National parks remain one of Latin America's main tourist attractions, with many forests, beaches, mountains, and deserts from Venezuela to Peru protected by laws, presidential decrees or constitutional provisions. But these protections often fail or are usurped by powerful interests.
In places like Colombia, the government struggles to keep coca farmers and leftist and rightist guerrillas out of vast stretches of parklands. In other places like Venezuela, government officials are seeking to build housing for the poor on natural reserves.
And in the Galápagos, it is Ecuador's chronic political instability and endemic corruption that is fostering its steady erosion. Since 2002, there have been 12 directors of the Galápagos national park. The country has had seven presidents since 1997. And the Germany-based watchdog group Transparency International ranks the governments as among the most corrupt on the planet.
This instability and corruption transfers to the Galápagos Islands, which has 3,100 square miles of protected lands and about 51,000 square miles of protected ocean waters.
ENDANGERED SPECIES
There are at least a dozen endangered species of mammals and fish on the Galápagos. And over the past 10 years, fishermen have nearly depleted the populations of sea
''The problem isn't the fisherman,'' said Rogelio Guaycha, a congressman from the province who also heads a local fishing cooperative. ``What's killing the Galápagos is the tourism.''
Tourist industry representatives dispute these claims.
''Well controlled tourism does not cause damage,'' said Alfredo Serrano, the Galápagos legislator associated with the tourism and hotel industries. Serrano blames the central government for not controlling the influx of permanent residents.
And neither side seems to want a strong park service to monitor their activities. The park's staff was cut in half this year, making it nearly impossible to keep watch over the 19 islands and surrounding waters.
''We're a sandwich,'' said Mario Piu, who heads the park's marine conservation unit. ``We're always in between everyone else.''
Technically, the Participative Management Board, made up of representatives from the fishing and tourism industries, tourist guides and the independent Charles Darwin Institute try to reach consensus on decisions affecting the islands. But consensus is no easy task, especially when it has to do with money.
Both fishermen and park officials have protested decisions in the past by organizing sometimes violent strikes. One previous park director reportedly arrived on his first day of work with an escort of fishermen who threw rocks at park rangers protesting his appointment.
''There's no political coherence with the Galápagos,'' said Bustamante who has participated in some heated board meetings himself. ``The government seems to have no plan.''
The fight to save the sea cucumbers has a particularly political flavor. The fishermen, who number close to 1,000, have nearly come to blows with conservationists and park rangers, and leaned on their political allies in the Ecuadorean capital of Quito to ensure that a two-month fishing season remains intact -- despite studies showing that the end of the species may be near.
For his part, Piu blames most of the illegal fishing on what he calls a ''mafia'' of fishing industry financiers from the mainland, and the lack of political will in the nation's government to crack down on the financiers.
But fishing is just a part of the problem.
In the 1960s, there were about 4,000 relatively permanent residents in Puerto Ayora -- mostly scientists, fishermen, and nature buffs. The town's population is now an estimated 16,000 and is growing at a rate of 7 percent per year. The other islands have about 15,000 people combined.
WAVE OF VISITORS
With nearly 100,000 visitors a year, most of the new arrivals work in the tourist industry, and there is talk of expanding an airport to accommodate more. But more tourists mean more infrastructure and more workers to support them. And the government seems to have little interest in slowing this pace since tourism in the Galápagos generates an estimated $40 million per year.
The government maintains strict control over who enters the islands, but seems to have little control once they are here, residents and national park officials repeatedly told The Miami Herald. An estimated 5,000 residents came for the legally approved three months, then stayed after they found work in the restaurants, bars, boats, and farms, officials here say.
And recently, another threat has emerged. New housing developments for both the rich and the poor are starting to spring up around Puerto Ayora, several of them along the edges of park grounds. It seems only a matter of time, residents say, before the real estate moguls take a seat at the table along with the other interest groups.
GALAPAGOS ISLANDS
STORY SO FAR: The Galapagos Islands is one of the world's most important nature preserves, the place where Charles Darwin, noticing how finches had developed different types of beaks depending on the types of food available on the different islands, came up with his theory of natural selection. The islands off the coast of Ecuador cover an area slightly smaller than West Virginia and harbor numerous unique animal and plant species.
WHAT NOW: Ecuador's political instability -- seven presidents since 1997 -- is having grave effects on the national park. The park has had 12 park directors since 2002; And both resident populations and the number of tourists are growing to levels that threaten the park.
Galápagos Islands face a complex stream of threatsEconomic, political and environmental pressures are squeezing Ecuador's ecologically fragile Galápagos Islands.BY STEVEN DUDLEYsdudley@MiamiHerald.comPUERTO AYORA, Ecuador - The town of Puerto Ayora might be the cleanest in Latin America. It recycles everything from lubricants to batteries. The number of cars allowed is limited. Birds dive into the bay to catch the bountiful fish. And sea lions sun themselves all around.
But Puerto Ayora has a problem: It's in Ecuador's Galápagos Islands, which have an ecosystem as fragile as the wings of a butterfly.
With its burgeoning population, an endless stream of tourists, an insatiable and powerful fishing industry and a corrupt and unstable national government, the islands -- as Charles Darwin knew them when he visited in the 19th century and developed his famed origin of species theory -- may be headed for extinction.
''If the situation remains the same, it will be catastrophic for the Galápagos,'' said Xavier Bustamante, the head of the Natura Foundation, an Ecuadorean non-governmental organization that monitors the country's protected lands.
National parks remain one of Latin America's main tourist attractions, with many forests, beaches, mountains, and deserts from Venezuela to Peru protected by laws, presidential decrees or constitutional provisions. But these protections often fail or are usurped by powerful interests.
In places like Colombia, the government struggles to keep coca farmers and leftist and rightist guerrillas out of vast stretches of parklands. In other places like Venezuela, government officials are seeking to build housing for the poor on natural reserves.
And in the Galápagos, it is Ecuador's chronic political instability and endemic corruption that is fostering its steady erosion. Since 2002, there have been 12 directors of the Galápagos national park. The country has had seven presidents since 1997. And the Germany-based watchdog group Transparency International ranks the governments as among the most corrupt on the planet.
This instability and corruption transfers to the Galápagos Islands, which has 3,100 square miles of protected lands and about 51,000 square miles of protected ocean waters.
ENDANGERED SPECIES
There are at least a dozen endangered species of mammals and fish on the Galápagos. And over the past 10 years, fishermen have nearly depleted the populations of sea
The two main economic interests, fishing and tourism, each have a representative in the nation's congress. And each blames the other for the ecological damages.
''The problem isn't the fisherman,'' said Rogelio Guaycha, a congressman from the province who also heads a local fishing cooperative. ``What's killing the Galápagos is the tourism.''
Tourist industry representatives dispute these claims.
''Well controlled tourism does not cause damage,'' said Alfredo Serrano, the Galápagos legislator associated with the tourism and hotel industries. Serrano blames the central government for not controlling the influx of permanent residents.
And neither side seems to want a strong park service to monitor their activities. The park's staff was cut in half this year, making it nearly impossible to keep watch over the 19 islands and surrounding waters.
''We're a sandwich,'' said Mario Piu, who heads the park's marine conservation unit. ``We're always in between everyone else.''
Technically, the Participative Management Board, made up of representatives from the fishing and tourism industries, tourist guides and the independent Charles Darwin Institute try to reach consensus on decisions affecting the islands. But consensus is no easy task, especially when it has to do with money.
Both fishermen and park officials have protested decisions in the past by organizing sometimes violent strikes. One previous park director reportedly arrived on his first day of work with an escort of fishermen who threw rocks at park rangers protesting his appointment.
''There's no political coherence with the Galápagos,'' said Bustamante who has participated in some heated board meetings himself. ``The government seems to have no plan.''
The fight to save the sea cucumbers has a particularly political flavor. The fishermen, who number close to 1,000, have nearly come to blows with conservationists and park rangers, and leaned on their political allies in the Ecuadorean capital of Quito to ensure that a two-month fishing season remains intact -- despite studies showing that the end of the species may be near.
For his part, Piu blames most of the illegal fishing on what he calls a ''mafia'' of fishing industry financiers from the mainland, and the lack of political will in the nation's government to crack down on the financiers.
But fishing is just a part of the problem.
In the 1960s, there were about 4,000 relatively permanent residents in Puerto Ayora -- mostly scientists, fishermen, and nature buffs. The town's population is now an estimated 16,000 and is growing at a rate of 7 percent per year. The other islands have about 15,000 people combined.
WAVE OF VISITORS
With nearly 100,000 visitors a year, most of the new arrivals work in the tourist industry, and there is talk of expanding an airport to accommodate more. But more tourists mean more infrastructure and more workers to support them. And the government seems to have little interest in slowing this pace since tourism in the Galápagos generates an estimated $40 million per year.
The government maintains strict control over who enters the islands, but seems to have little control once they are here, residents and national park officials repeatedly told The Miami Herald. An estimated 5,000 residents came for the legally approved three months, then stayed after they found work in the restaurants, bars, boats, and farms, officials here say.
And recently, another threat has emerged. New housing developments for both the rich and the poor are starting to spring up around Puerto Ayora, several of them along the edges of park grounds. It seems only a matter of time, residents say, before the real estate moguls take a seat at the table along with the other interest groups.
GALAPAGOS ISLANDS
STORY SO FAR: The Galapagos Islands is one of the world's most important nature preserves, the place where Charles Darwin, noticing how finches had developed different types of beaks depending on the types of food available on the different islands, came up with his theory of natural selection. The islands off the coast of Ecuador cover an area slightly smaller than West Virginia and harbor numerous unique animal and plant species.
WHAT NOW: Ecuador's political instability -- seven presidents since 1997 -- is having grave effects on the national park. The park has had 12 park directors since 2002; And both resident populations and the number of tourists are growing to levels that threaten the park.
