News

National Geographic Traveler writer,  Norie Quintos, writes a blog entitled  Intelligent Travel.  She’s come out with the first two articles in a series that are worth reading:

Galapagos with Teens: Lessons from a Dead Man

 Galapagos with Teens: Surf or Turf?

Thankfully, she recommends that her readers use an IGTOA Member for travel to the Galapagos:

“So, what should responsible travelers do? Choose the travel style that best suits your needs. Then, find an established operator (whether land- or boat-based) that shares your concern for the environment by asking pointed questions about every aspect of the trip. Make sure your operator is a member of the International Galapagos Tour Operators Association (IGTOA), whose members agree to adhere to ecological standards.”

Several organizations have have raised questions and concerns about the removal of the Galapagos from the World Heritage in Danger List last month.  (see previous posts)

 The following was reported on the website, Our Amazing Planet.

The decision goes against the recommendations of UNESCO, the United Nations body that, along with outside experts and scientists, monitors sites on the WHC’s danger list.

“The state of conservation report presented by UNESCO did not suggest that the site should be removed from the danger list, that was a decision the committee made,” said Sue Williams, a UNESCO spokesperson, who said the WHC members are government representatives, free to accept or reject UNESCO’s recommendations.

“They’re free to make up their own minds.”

However, some conservation organizations question the relatively swift change in the site’s designation. The islands were only added to the danger list in 2007, at the behest of Ecuadorian President Rafael Correa.

Tim Badman, head of the International Union for the Conservation of Nature’s (IUCN) world heritage program, called the committee’s decision premature.

“It’s a recent inscription,” Badman said in a phone interview. “We expected the time to be taken to deal with all the issues that have been raised. There’s still work to be done to manage bio-security on the island, tourism activity, and governance of this site.”

Johannah Barry, president of the Galapagos Conservancy, acknowledged that President Correa has made some inroads against the myriad problems facing the islands, but said removing the area from the danger list delivers a false impression of safety.

“I’m concerned it might appear like everything’s all better now,” Barry said, “and I don’t believe that’s the case.”

Barry cited the alarming influx of alien plants, animals and diseases in recent years, from West Nile virus and parasitic flies that are killing off the islands’ finches, to domestic dogs and cats that maim and kill the archipelago’s marine iguanas.

Invasive species “are the biggest threat to the Galapagos’s biodiversity,” Barry said.

People are also invading the islands. In the early 1990s, the area received about 60,000 tourists annually. Last year, 163,000 people visited the Galapagos Islands. The number of residents has also ballooned, Barry said, from somewhere around 10,000 in the early 90s to 25,000 to 30,000 now.

“It used to be you could count the number of cars,” Barry said. That’s not the case anymore.

UNESCO’s Williams said yesterday’s decision won’t mean the Galapagos will be ignored.

“Just because it has come off the list doesn’t mean UNESCO doesn’t pay attention to it anymore,” Williams said. “If there’s a deterioration of the situation, it could very well be the site could be re-inscribed on the list.”

The Galapagos Islands remain a World Heritage Site – they were the first spot to ever receive the designation, in 1978.

The Galapagos Conservation Trust has expressed concern that UNESCO’s vote to remove Galapagos from the World Heritage Sites in Danger list is premature.

The Galapagos Conservation Trust’s Chief Executive Toni Darton said, “Saving Galapagos is a marathon not a sprint, and there is still a long way to go to overcome the challenges the Islands face. Whilst progress is being made I am concerned that this announcement is premature and may give the impression that the natural wonders of Galapagos are no longer threatened. This is sadly still far from the truth. It may also divert funds away from the vital conservation and sustainability programmes.

“Galapagos may no longer officially be a World Heritage Site In Danger, but its unique biodiversity is still very much at risk.” The natural beauty and biodiversity of the Galapagos Islands led to them being declared one of the first World Heritage Sites, in 1978. Their isolated location, 600 miles off the coast of Ecuador, means they are home to many unique species including giant tortoises, marine iguanas and the only penguins north of the Equator.

Unfortunately, the many consequences of human intervention have had a devastating effect. The rapid increase in population and visitor numbers, growing threat from invasive species and unregulated development were just some of the reasons behind UNESCO’s decision to add Galapagos to the list of World Heritage Sites In Danger in 2007.

Since then the Ecuadorian Government has made progress in addressing a number of these issues. Immigration and quarantine measures have been tightened, a $15 million Invasive Species Fund has been set up and the governance of the Islands has been strengthened. But there is still a long way togo to ensure a sustainable future for Galapagos.

Over 40 Galapagos species are Critically Endangered - including the Floreana Mockingbird that helped inspire Darwin’s theory of evolution - and over 800 introduced plants now outnumber the 550 native and endemic species. A new housing development of over 1,000 homes is set to double the size of the main town before issues such as water, sanitation and energy shortages have been addressed, and the updated Special Law for Galapagos that will strengthen the regulatory framework is not yet in place.

The UNESCO World Heritage Committee voted on Wednesday to remove the Galapagos Islands from its World Heritage in Danger List.  But the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) criticized the decision, saying there was “still work to be done”.

“The situation in the Galapagos remains critical,” said Tim Badman, Head of IUCN’s World Heritage Programme.  “IUCN’s recommendation for the Galapagos was that it should not be removed from the Danger List as there is work still to be done.”

He said that he recognized “the major efforts of the Ecuadorian government” but stated that “threats from tourism, invasive species and overfishing are still factors, and the situation in the Galapagos remains critical. We will need continued strong commitment from the Ecuadorian government over the coming years to resolve these issues.”

source: BBC News

During its annual meeting in Brazil, the UNESCO World Heritage Committee voted today to remove the Galapagos from its World Heritage in Danger List. The Galapagos Islands was placed on the list at the 2007 WHC meeting.

The proposal to remove the Galapagos from the list was made by Brazil, which recognized the work that has been done by the Ecuadorian government. The Brazilian president of the World Heritage Committee, Juca Ferreira, visited the islands last May. The proposal was supported by France, Mexico, Jordan, South Africa and Barbados. Opposing were Australia, Switzerland and Sweden.

Ecuador’s Minister of Environment, Marcela Aguiñaga, headed the Ecuadorian delegation. Edwin Naula, the Galapagos National Park Director, a member of the Ecuadorian mission, stated that “being removed from the list of endangered sites commits us even more to work hard in implementing management actions to ensure sustainable development of the islands “

source: Galapagos National Park