July 3rd, 1997
(En Español)
GLAND, Switzerland -- WWF-World Wide Fund For Nature called today
on the Ecuadorean authorities to ensure that a new law meant to
regulate the management of the Galapagos islands is approved soon
enough to address a variety of negative trends affecting the biologically
and historically important archipelago.
The international conservation organization issued its plea as it released
the first of a new annual series of reports on conservation and human
trends in Galapagos produced in collaboration with its associate in
Ecuador, Fundacion Natura. The *Galapagos Report* surveys different
issues affecting the human and wildlife population in Galapagos, such as
human migration to the islands; production of trash, collection and
recycling; illegal fishing and introduction of alien species to the
archipelago.
"The most important conclusion that can be made from the report is that
there is a clear need to bring under control the impacts that a massive
influx of people is having on the Galapagos environment," said Miguel
Pellerano, WWF Galapagos Coordinator. "For that to happen, it is
essential that the authorities establish a strong legal framework showing
what people can and cannot do in and around the islands."
According to the report, the rate of population growth for Galapagos
was 6 percent between 1982 and 1990, while it was only 2 percent for
the rest of Ecuador. Even though families living in Galapagos are now
having fewer children (3.5 per household in 1990 versus 3.7 in 1982),
the archipelago's human population has increased significantly (from
about 6,000 in 1982 to over 16,000 in 1996). The growth is largely due
to new arrivals from the mainland.
The increase has created problems for the already limited structure of
public services available to the galapaguenos. For example, while the
health services in Galapagos are better in comparison than those found
on the Ecuadorean mainland, the quality of these services has seriously
deteriorated in the last decade. The number of hospital beds available
per 1,000 inhabitants decreased from 3 to 2 between 1986 and 1995,
and the number of doctors per 1,000 inhabitants has also gone down
from about 22 to 15 between 1983 and 1993.
Other services are still very basic. About 2,375 tonnes of trash are
collected each year in the main city of Puerto Ayora, just to be thrown
and burned without any kind of recycling at a dump located just 4
kilometers outside town, very close to one of the city's main sources of
fresh water.
Not surprisingly, in a poll conducted in 1996 in Puerto Ayora, 80 percent
of the local inhabitants surveyed were against allowing new immigrants
to come from the mainland.
"But controls such as this cannot properly be implemented until certain
legal ambiguities have been properly resolved by the competent
legislative authorities," explained Mr. Pellerano. "The Ecuadorean
Constitution recognizes the need for Galapagos to have a special
administrative regime in order to
ensure its conservation. Yet, until now it has not been possible to
properly implement this constitutional precept because of the lack of
agreement over what would be an adequate law for the islands."
During the last two years two different draft laws have been vetoed by
the governments of Sixto Duran Ballen and deposed president Abdala
Bucaran. The vetoes were due, in part, to major disagreements about
which level of government would have the main say with respect to the
future of the islands. "It is a delicate situation, because Galapagos is
both, a province of Ecuador where people have the freedom to go and
settle, and also one of the country's most vulnerable protected areas. It
is precisely this double personality that needs to be reconciled by the
legislative authorities," said Mr. Pellerano.
Last April, increased reports of illegal fishing incidents and the shooting
of park warden Julio Lopez during a patrol operation prompted the new
government of President Fabian Alarcon to issue an emergency decree
banning any new migrations to the islands and all non-artisanal fishing.
The decree also gave the new Ministry of the Environment 60 days to
present Congress with a new draft special law taking into consideration
all interests involved.
"As it happens with most protected areas around the world, the main
challenge for the authorities is to reconcile the human needs of the
people of Galapagos with the urgent conservation needs of the area,"
explained Mr. Pellerano. "The unique scenery and wild species found in
Galapagos attracted more than 60,000 visitors in 1996 and it is clear that
the islands are a great resource for Ecuador; but this resource needs to
be treated carefully and with a clear consciousness of what the limits of
Nature are. This is why it is so important to bring Galapagos out of the
legal dead-end road in which it is presently."
-END-
For more information, please contact:
*Irma Larrea and Miguel Pellerano, Fundacion Natura, Quito, Ecuador, at
the following numbers:
Telephone: +593 2 447 922, +593 2 457 253, +593 2 435 797,
+593 2 466 992, +593 2 466 993 and +593 2 466 081
Fax +593 2 434 449
e-mail: ilarrea@natura.ecx.ec
mpellera@uio.satnet.net
or
*Javier Arreaza, WWF International, Gland, Switzerland, tel. +41 22 364
9550, fax: +41 22 364 8307, e-mail: jarreaza@wwfnet.org