Galapagos Vacations and Responsible Travel (a Native Speaks Out)
Galapagos Vacations and Responsible Travel
(A Native Speaks Out)
San Cristobal, Galapagos Nov. 2008
Tourist’s choices in travel have profound impacts on the local environments and economies of their destinations. The Galapagos Islands are no exception. Responsible tourism begins with education and while everyone has seen a national geographic article or program on the wildlife of the Galapagos few have received accurate information on the reality of the people and economy that exist here. Many people are surprised to learn that there are people living on the islands or that there are land based tour options. Ninety-eight percent of the land mass of the Galapagos is National Park. The other two percent are privately owned by “Colonial Permanentes” (descended from the original colonists).
The original idea of keeping tourists on cruise ships or “floating hotels” as a way of protecting the natural world of the Galapagos was a good one, thirty-five years ago when there were only a couple of cruise ships working and the local population was one tenth of what it is today. Today there are more than a hundred cruise ships. These hundred plus ships refuel with petroleum brought from the mainland in our ports, they burn these fossil fuels practically 24/7, leave their trash in our dumps, pump untreated sewage directly into the ocean, rip up reefs with their anchors, employ mostly from the mainland, purchase produce and goods exclusively from the mainland and the majority of them are owned by people who have no direct contact with the Galapagos except as a place to make money. Less than five percent of all the revenue generated by tourism in the Galapagos ever touches the hands of the people that live here, the true guardians of these islands. Tens of thousands of international visitors arrive here annually with perhaps the greatest carbon footprint of any vacation on earth. They push that distinction even further by making uneducated choices of how and with whom they arrive. They pay thousands of dollars to second and third party travel agencies who receive that money in exchange for the marketing of the Galapagos, but take no responsibility for the problems their profits cause.
How did this happen? Who is to blame? What can be done about it?
In the past twenty-five years Ecuador has had eleven Presidents, eight in the last ten. The previous seven could be called “pro business” meaning there own. Each new president in Ecuador appoints new Governors, Secretaries of Environment, Tourism etc. Not only was there no continuity or firm directives for the Galapagos National Park or Ingala (the branch of government charged with the responsibility to enforce the laws of the Galapagos), frequently there was no money or political will to properly care for the Galapagos. There was opportunistic investing sometimes as blatant as plans to turn the Galapagos into a kind of southern hemisphere Waikiki or cruise ship licenses sold without regard for consequences. Add to this the political clout of the fishermen, who represent a block of votes and with their political influence were able to water down fishing restrictions to the point where they were ineffective in preserving the fisheries.
What we have now is:
-A population of approximately 30,000 with as many as one third of them illegal immigrants
-Almost a hundred cruise ships owned primarily by people whose only connection to the Galapagos is as a place to make money
-A population largely disenfranchised from the tourism industry while what had been the predominate economy, fishing has been all but decimated
-A boom in poaching of sea cucumbers, shark fins and out of season lobsters
-Many boats and tour operators operating without the proper licenses
-The National Park and Ingala reduced to ineffectual agencies. Abuses abound and even trying to get proper licenses is extremely difficult, sometimes for lack of things as basic as ink for a printer.
-A reliance on produce, goods and electricity (in the form of diesel fuel to supply generators) imported from the continent. The small local farmers on the islands can’t compete with the prices of the mass produced foods from the continent even with the costs of transportation
There’s enough blame to go around. The political problems of Ecuador are easy enough to point to, but the real blame is the short sightedness and greed of just about everyone, from local fishermen to cruise line operators, even to tourists who are “unwitting” accomplices.
What can be done about it?
We are lucky to have a new president, Rafael Correa, a “Christian Socialist” he calls himself. He’s taken on the political corruption that has plagued this country since its inception with his seventy-five percent popularity. It appears he’ll be able to serve out his term. He was a professor here at the small university for a while and has made protecting the Galapagos one of his top priorities. There have been seminars and symposiums, meetings with The National Park, The Charles Darwin Foundation, Ingala. The only thing anyone agrees on is something must be done. What exactly, has been the hard part.
We have many conflicting interests, varied alliances, jealousies and in fighting. Even with all of that we are making some minor head way thanks mostly to our new president, but the real power, the real force that can bring about change is on the supply side. With the growing awareness of responsible/eco tourism there is hope for positive change (www.cometogalapagos.com).
Customized land based tours offer visitors the ability to visit several different islands often by small plane, receive a level of personalized service and accommodation unavailable on cruise tours and help bring about positive change toward sustainable economic practices within the Galapagos. For example, we work with local fishermen who have lived all their lives harvesting their living from the sea (depleting fisheries) working with us they have exchanged their license to fish commercially, irrevocably for a license to work with visitors, taking the visitors out in their boats, demonstrating how they used to fish with hand lines, explaining the history of the fisheries, what has happened, the reality that exists now and then catching the nights meal to be shared with their family. The environmental impact is that instead of harvesting thousands of fish a year to survive a fisherman’s family can survive harvesting only a hundred. It allows visitors a glimpse not only into the history but also the culture and current reality of the Galapagos, allows a cultural exchange which is perhaps as important for the fishermen as it is enjoyable for the visitor and allows the ability for the fishermen to have a sustainable option for making a living. We are doing the same with the farmers. For the past ten years, the population has been able to purchase produce, meat and eggs imported from the continent at a cheaper price than the small farms here can produce these items and survive. The reason for this is the large commercial farms on the continent which do not need to adhere to any government mandated standards as to the use of chemicals, growth hormones, etc. have been able even with the cost of shipping to under cut the market. Most people book their vacations here months sometimes even a year in advance. This allows us the opportunity to plan ahead. We can say to the farmers, “On this date we are going to need X number of lettuce, eggs, tomatoes, fruit etc.” This allows the farmers the ability to plant many of these crops knowing they have a secure market and with this the willingness to follow best practices with regard to organics, water use etc.
Our problems in the Galapagos are not unique. All over the world local economies are getting trampled by large tour companies who come in, exploit the resource and take the vast majority of the revenue with them. The choices we make as consumers (in this case travelers) are shaping the future of our planet. Vacations are perhaps the last place anyone wants to accept this responsibility, but there it is. As far as the Galapagos, you can help by taking a land based tour rather than a cruise tour. If you must take a cruise tour, do so with one that is owned by a native Galapageno.
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About the Author
Galapagos Citizen
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