Managing Environmentally Sensitive Ecosystems - Galapagos

The Galapagos Islands are volcanic islands in the Pacific Ocean, about 1000 km west of Ecuador. Because they are isolated, many species are endemic (found nowhere else), including giant tortoises, marine iguanas, flightless cormorants and Darwin's finches. The islands are an environmentally sensitive ecosystem: the small populations of endemic species are easily harmed.Threats:• introduced species: goats eat the vegetation that tortoises and iguanas need; rats and cats eat eggs and young; introduced plants such as blackberry outcompete native plants
• a growing human population and increasing tourism, bringing demand for water, land and fuel, and pollution
• overfishing and illegal fishing of species such as sea cucumbers and sharks
• climate change and El Niño events, which reduce food for marine species.Management:• about 97% of the land area is a national park (established 1959), and the surrounding sea is the Galapagos Marine Reserve, with no-take zones and fishing limits
• eradication of introduced species: goats have been removed from several islands, including Santiago and northern Isabela, allowing vegetation to recover
• quarantine and inspection of cargo and luggage to stop new species arriving
• captive breeding of giant tortoises and reintroduction to their islands
• controlled tourism: visitors must stay on marked trails with a licensed guide, and visitor numbers at each site are limited
• the Galapagos was made a World Heritage Site in 1978.