Geography Reference
In-Depth Information
you pay'. For example, a 1 day stay would cost a US$1,000 park entrance
fee, a 5 day stay would cost US$500 and 10 days or more would cost US$100.
If carefully managed, fewer tourists staying longer in the islands could bring
more benefits to local population, reduce movement of goods and invasive spe-
cies between the continent and islands and favor a slower-paced and therefore
less consumptive tourism. The tourism tax could be more specifically directed
to support national and local public projects, such as the whole Ecuadorian
protected areas network or Galápagos education initiatives.
Sustainable Enterprise Development
In the Galápagos, water availability, soil quality and dense plant invasions present
biophysical constraints to agricultural development. The high cost of labor also
presents an economic constraint. In a globalized world, however, these constraints
can be overcome, even if it is to the detriment of the local natural environment.
Presently, in the Galápagos, nearly all food is imported and water shortages have
been resolved using the expensive technique of reverse osmosis. All indicators
show that population, economic growth and damage to the environment have been
increasing in an unsustainable fashion (Fig.
6.2
). This damage has been enabled by
highly subsidized fossil fuels (e.g. the price of gasoline is fixed at $0.35/liter in the
whole of Ecuador including the Galápagos). In 2005, the archipelago imported 34
million liters of fuel for energy production and transport and this amount is increas-
ing at a rate of over 10% per annum (Jacome
2008
). Growth also has less obvious,
2000
Population (x10)
Tourists (x100)
Cargo (tonnes x10)
Fuel (liters x 100000)
introduced (species)
1500
1000
500
0
1960
1970
1980
1990
2000
2010
Year
Fig. 6.2
Growth of resident population, tourists, cargo, introduced species and fossil fuel con-
sumption: 1960-2007. (Data adapted from Jacome
2008
; Watkins and Cruz 2007; Charles Darwin
Foundation, Galápagos National Park). Note the acceleration of growth rates after the Special Law
of Galápagos, 1998
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