More on the Galápagos

Unique species, mounting pressure

The Galápagos Archipelago, which straddles the equator 1,000 km off Ecuador's coast, contains some of the world's most remarkable marine and land ecosystems. The islands are home to many endemic species. Many of these species evolved on the islands from common ancestors, making the archipelago a unique living laboratory for scientists studying the process of natural selection.

The islands' unique and often remarkably tame fauna has also made the archipelago a world-class tourist destination. Between 1988–98, visitors to the Galápagos increased from 42,000 to 64,700. Tourism on the islands earns Ecuador an estimated $100 million annually.

But the islands' biological riches have come under mounting pressure from an influx of people from the mainland who are drawn by economic opportunities offered by tourism as well as fisheries. Migration has increased to the point where 75 percent of the current population of 16,000 originally came from the mainland. The 6.7 percent annual population growth rate is far outstripping the availability of services, such as potable water, sewerage, and solid waste disposal, resulting in pollution problems.

Under a new law, the Special Regime for the Galápagos, the government will seek to limit migration, guide development, and protect the islands' unique ecosystems.

Pressure on the Galápagos' marine environment has become particularly intense. Export markets for sea cucumbers, shark fins, and lobster have led to an unsustainable increase in fishing, which is often carried out without regard to laws regarding seasons and quotas, in spite of the efforts of the Ecuadorian authorities.

One of the major threats to the islands' native plants and animals is competition with exotic species, such as cats, goats, rats and dogs. Altogether, some 25 vertebrate animals have been introduced in the Galápagos, in addition to about 460 species of plants and hundreds of invertebrates.

Due to their long isolation from the mainland, the native plants and animals have evolved few defense mechanisms to the foreign invaders. Native species which are seriously threatened include birds, land iguanas, and even the impressive animals from which the islands take their name, the giant tortoise, called Galápagos in Spanish.