GCT POSITION STATEMENTS

On mass tourism

Position:
The Galapagos Conservation Trust believes that well managed tourism, where the local population of Galapagos benefits, is an important source of income for Ecuador. In addition, by visiting the Galapagos on small boats (up to 100 passenger capacity) visitors can experience the wilderness values of Galapagos with a minimal environmental impact.

We do not believe that the trip on the MV Discovery is an appropriate way to visit the Galapagos. The biggest single threat to the native fauna and flora is posed by the introduction of non-native species. Despite inspection and quarantine procedures, a ship this size can only add to the problem. There is no way that the inspectors can check the whole ship plus all of its passengers and crew, and prevent the inadvertent introduction of, for example, plant seeds or insects.

We would question how much the local community will benefit from the visit of the MV Discovery. Cruise ships of this size carry all their own food and drink, and do not normally purchase supplies locally. Furthermore, the passengers are unlikely to have the time or inclination to patronise local restaurants. The only members of the local community likely to benefit are the naturalist guides and a few small boat owners based in San Cristobal.

The Galapagos Conservation Trust also believes that the passengers' experience of Galapagos will be poor. Few of the day trips available will be able to reach the most interesting visitor sites, or those with a rich diversity of wildlife.

We believe that sustainable tourism in Galapagos should be based on the use of small boats - a high value, low volume model that minimises ecological impacts and maximises the involvement of and the benefit to the local community.

For this reason the Galapagos Conservation Trust cannot support visits by MV Discovery.

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On tourism in general

Position:
The Galapagos Conservation Trust believes that well managed tourism, based on high value, low volume is a useful source of income for Ecuador. It also produces revenue for the Galapagos National Park. Some 45% of the park entrance fee is used to fund the work of the Galapagos National Park Service. There would be no conservation in the islands to speak of without this source of income.

However, it is important that tourism is sustainable, using small boats, that the ecological impacts are minimal and, very importantly, that the local community in Galapagos is involved and benefits from tourism.

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On sport fishing

Position:
The Galapagos National Park Service advises all tour operators, local entrepreneurs, private boat owners and visitors to the islands that the operation of both recreational and commercial sports fishing is prohibited in the waters of the Galapagos Marine Reserve by Regulation No. 014, date March 2005, from the Ministry of Environment. The Galapagos Conservation Trust supports the Galapagos National Park Service in this action and would ask that if any British visitors are offered a sport fishing trip in Galapagos they inform the Ecuadorian authorities.

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On eradication of mammal invasive species

Position:
Introduced species are the greatest threat to native plants and animals. The invasive species range from large mammals, such as donkeys and goats, to tiny fire ants that kill tortoise and bird hatchlings.

Although 95 percent of the species that were there when humans first arrived still exist in the Galapagos, IUCN - the World Conservation Union lists dozens on its "red list" of threatened species. These include the Galapagos hawk and the Galapagos fur seal, along with 57 species of Bulimulus snails. On some of the ten larger islands, alien species have already led to the extinction of native species. Ecuadorians settled Floreana in 1832, three years before Darwin came to the Galapagos, and brought cattle with them. Before their arrival the Galapagos mockingbird thrived there, using the prickly pear cactus for food, protection and as a nesting site. The cattle ate all the prickly pear cactus on the island, and without it, the mockingbirds disappeared.

There are many other examples. Black rats on Santa Cruz killed off the sharp-beaked ground finch, while land iguanas no longer exist on Santiago because goats ate the vegetation they need for sustenance and feral cats and dogs attacked their young. If the invasive species in Galapagos are not eradicated or controlled, then many of the species of flora and fauna on the archipelago - many found nowhere else on earth - face extinction.

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