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Humans threaten Galapagos Islands
October 10 , 2008
Galapagos Islands
While man may have made the
Galapagos Islands famous, courtesy of Charles Darwin, now it is man who is threatening the very place that is so treasured by the world.
Located 600 miles off the coast of
Ecuador The Galapagos Islands are comprised of 13 major islands, and numerous smaller ones.
Amazing animals have made this island home- from otters and birds, to the infamous Galapogas giant tortoise. Since
Darwin 's arrival in 1835 the number of tortoises was approximately 300,000 today the number has dwindled to 3,000.
The reason: Us! 30 years ago, the Galapagos hosted 10,000 visitors, last year alone there were 161,000 visitors. They brought in approximately $350 million, which is an enormous amount of money6 for this tiny struggling nation. a vast sum for this struggling country.
To support tourism, the local population has grown from a modest 5,000 to 30,000.
What is not common knowledge is that the island does not have a sewage system. Sewage is left to seep into the ground and the sea. With the increase in tourism, the
Islands face a (literally) toxic threat.
Last year the Galapagos was placed on the list of Heritage Sites in Danger. The move was intended to raise awareness about the need for conservation and protection of its rare ecology.
Eliecer Cruz, governor of the Galapagos and former director of the Galapagos office of the World Wildlife Fund, has made conservation and protection of the islands' unique wildlife a priority. To regulate tourism, the government now allows just 84 licensed boats to take tourists around the islands. In addition, a trained guide must escort every visitor.
Have you been to this amazing place? Upload your videos to SplashVision today!
That’s a wrap!
- The SplashVision Team (help us grow and share with friends)
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