Geography Reference
In-Depth Information
development. If the Ecuadorian authorities choose the latter path, our first
suggestion is that they should strengthen and clarify governance of the islands.
In the Galápagos, as in many parts of the world, strong public governance is needed
to manage diverse and often conflictive stakeholders. Whilst this reform is primarily
an Ecuadorian responsibility, the international community also has a stake as the
islands are a designated UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Secondly, a new development model is desperately needed. Tourism is the
economic lifeblood of the archipelago; it has also been the main driver of the socio
ecological degradation in the Galápagos to date. Tourism development has been
primarily determined by the big travel companies. A new model should be designed
and managed by the actors capable of taking a more cautious approach to balancing
tourism and biophysical conditions. Following from our discussion above, we
believe the Ecuadorian government should assume primary responsibility for this
task. We suggest that the new model of tourism development should center on
reducing the number of tourists visiting the islands, and so the impact of tourism
on ecological resources of the islands, but encouraging longer visits, more eco-
touristic practices, and more equitable distribution of revenues between tourism
companies and local residents.
Thirdly, local lifestyles should become more local again. We do not advocate iso-
lationism, but instead efforts to slow continentalization and strengthen the island
culture. Eliminating subsidies on fuel, for example, will decrease the amount of goods
imported to the archipelago, increase their cost, and discourage frivolous use of fuel.
Together with the reform of the educational system to strengthen awareness of the
rich yet vulnerable quality of the islands, such measures may foster a new way of life
in these islands, one less dependent on the outside world and more respectful of the
place in which it is located. The present environmental problems in the Galápagos,
and especially the problem of invasive species, should be seen comprehensively; in
this area, as in many others, the key is to prevent species invasions, reduce their num-
ber, and to change the quality of connections between the archipelago and the conti-
nent. In the Galápagos, this could only be achieved through a new system of tourism,
a new lifestyle, and strong governance. To be effective, the three components should
be grounded on a common vision, one that sees oceanic islands as characterized by a
certain isolation, in which natural and/or cultural peculiarities can evolve from within.
It is worth conserving such places in an increasingly homogeneous world.
Acknowledgements
The Galápagos Conservancy has provided salary support for the two
authors. We thank Mandy Trueman for making Figs.
6.1
and
6.2
. Daniel Niles and Mandy
Trueman provided constructive comments and edited the document. The usual disclaimers apply.
References
Bensted-Smith R (2002) Planning for the ecoregion. In: Bensted-Smith R (ed) A biodiversity
vision for the Galápagos Islands. Charles Darwin Foundation and World Wildlife Fund,
pp 11-16.
www.darwinfoundation.org/files/library/pdf/bio_vision_Galápagos_eng.pdf
Search WWH ::
Custom Search