Conservation Efforts and Human Impact

www.darwinfoundation.org

The arid lowlands and open forests of cacti are just one ecosystem of the galapagos islands. Yet because this ecosystem hosts such unique species of flora and fauna that range from a variety of finches, to blue-footed boobies, and land iguanas, efforts have been made to protect the islands. In 1979, the Galapagos were declared a World Heritage site of UNESCO, a convention that protects unique natural areas including, but not limited to, the Serengeti of Tanzania, and Yellowstone National Park of the United States. Later in 1987, the coasts of the islands and water surrounding were declared a Marine Resources Reserve by President Febres-Cordero of Ecuador.

www.darwinfoundation.org

While the islands remain to be a protected National Park to this day, it is still a fragile ecosystem that has showed signs of negative human impacts due to recent increased amounts of tourism. The Galapagos Conservancy has reported that tourism has drastically increased within the past recent decades, and has gone from about 41,000 people in 1990 to over 100,000 in 2005. This combined with the increasing residency among the islands (table left) has drastically threatened the biodiversity of the ecosystem. Other problems include the introduction of non-native species, increased pollution, accelerated erosion, illegal fishing, and careless tourism, all of which have drastically threatened the islands' biodiversity and endemism. Overall, the increasing amounts of human activity on the islands have increased this ecosystem's vulnerability and  compromised its infrastructure.

www.darwinfoundation.org

Some National Park Rules of the Galapagos Islands include:

1. No plants, animals, or any other natural objects from the islands can be removed or disturbed.
2. Don't leave any materials behind on the island.
3. No food can be taken onto the islands.
4. Animals may not be touched, handled, fed, or disturbed/chased from its nesting area.
5. No graffiti permitted on any natural rock, etc.
6. All vistors must be accompanied by an approved guide when visiting the islands.
7. The Park is divided into different zones for better management, don't hesitate to spread a conservationist attitude.


References:

Epler, Bruce. Tourism, the Economy, Population Growth, and Conservation in Galapagos. Charles Darwin Foundation. 2007. 25 Nov. 2012.
<www.darwinfoundation.org>.

Jackson, Michael Hume. Galapagos: A Natural History Guide. University of Calgary Press, 1993. Google Books. 23 Nov. 2012.
<http://books.google.com/>.

Smith, Nicole. "The Human Impact on the Galapagos Islands". Article Myriad 2012. 24 Nov. 2012.
 <http://www.articlemyriad.com/human-impact-galapagos-islands/>.