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Ensuring the Long-term Conservation of the One of the World’s Most Important Marine Ecosystems The waters surrounding the Galapagos archipelago have been described as one of the most unique, scientifically important, and biologically outstanding areas on earth (UNESCO, 2001). Located at the confluence of the cold Cromwell and Humbolt Currents and the warm Panama Current, the 50,000 square mile Galapagos Marine Reserve (GMR) is a mixing pot for water masses and species from tropical and subtropical regions of the American continent as well as the Indo-Pacific.
Many of Galapagos’ unique vertebrate species, such as sea lions, flightless cormorants, the waved albatross, and marine iguanas depend on the health of Galapagos’ marine environment. Of the 57 resident bird species in Galapagos, 27 are highly dependent on the surrounding ocean. The Challenges Currently, this remarkable place is threatened by an array of human activities driven by international markets for tourism and exotic marine species. Since the 1990s boom in the Galapagos sea cucumber fishery, fishing has been the most hotly debated of these activities. Local fishers, backed by investors from outside of Galapagos, have depleted populations of this Asian delicacy, which plays a critical role in under-water ecology. Even under ideal conditions, it will take decades for populations to recover. Meanwhile, the international market for shark fins has driven the illegal killing of as many as 150,000 sharks per year in the GMR, where 14 of the 30 species of sharks found are on the World Conservation Union’s Red List for endangered and threatened species. Long lining just beyond the limits of the Reserve, as well as off the coasts of Ecuador and Peru, is also having a marked impact on species, such as sea turtles, sharks, and the waved albatross, that migrate beyond the limits of the reserve. The greatest driver of human population growth in Galapagos has been tourism, which has risen from about 40,000 visitors in 1990 to more than 120,000 visitors in 2005. The resident population (estimated at 28,000) and related infrastructure have grown in parallel with the number of tourists, as has the demand for new activities, such as sport fishing, whose impact has yet to be fully understood. While 97% of Galapagos’ land area remains protected, the impact on visitor sites and the coastal areas near inhabited areas, as well as the potential for ecological disasters such as the 2001 Jessica oil spill, continues to rise.
Fortunately, most threatened elements of Galapagos’ marine ecosystems can be restored if human activities in and around the Reserve are controlled. Even slow-to-recover species, such as sea cucumbers, will rebound if given the chance. Galapagos Conservancy is committed to working with the Charles Darwin Foundation, the Galapagos National Park Service, and others to ensure a Galapagos Marine Reserve where:
Next Steps Through the 1998 Special Law for Galapagos, Galapagos residents, the Ecuadorian government, and the conservation community have established the legal framework and roadmap necessary to manage the GMR in a sustainable fashion. Our partners in Galapagos need help to put this landmark legislation to work. Priorities include: Conservation Research
Policy and Resource Management
Ensure the Long-term Health of the GMR: Make a Donation Today Photo of Whale Shark by Jack Stein Grove |
The Reserve’s diverse habitats, which include rocky, vertical cliff faces, sandy beaches, mangroves, lagoons, and deep open waters that fall to 13,000 ft are home to high levels of endemism (about 25%) and such contrasting life forms as coral reefs, penguins, fur seals, and hammerhead sharks.
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