Adapted from an article in El Comercio
April 11, 2007

Galapagos in Danger

Ecuador’s most important natural reserve was declared at risk by its President, Rafael Correa, through an Emergency Decree issued on Tuesday, April 10th.

During comments made following his signing of the decree, the Head of State explained that Ecuador does not need to be reprimanded by international organizations. “We are conscious of the importance and priority of Galapagos for this country.”

Since Sunday, a UNESCO commission has been in Galapagos to study the possibility of including the archipelago on the list of World Heritage Sites at Risk. UNESCO is the United Nations agency responsible for recommending and maintaining the roster of natural and cultural World Heritage sites.

The international organization believes that the massive influx of tourists, the introduction of species, and the over-exploitation of fishing resources have put the island’s ecosystems at danger.

Tatitana Calderon, a specialist in environment and sustainable tourism at the Ministry of Tourism, admitted, “Errors have been made in the management of Galapagos.”

According to the decree signed by President Correa, Galapagos is at risk and its conservation and environmental management is a national priority.
 
Among other actions, it calls for the Governor of Galapagos to convene a special meeting of the Galapagos National Institute (INGALA) within the next 15 days. The objective of this meeting will be to determine the current state of conservation, development, and overall health of the archipelago. It will also analyze the possible temporary suspension of new permits for tourism and commercial flights to the islands.

President Correa also confirmed government sanctions related to recent incidents on Baltra. He announced that a sergeant involved in the assault upon Galapagos National Park wardens and their Director, Raquel Molina, was sent to prison for nine days and the commander of the air base in Baltra and the Port Captain of Puerto Ayora have been dismissed.  Ms. Molina also received an administrative reprimand related to her involvement in the incident on March 16th.