The Feast: Sustainability Issues Surrounding the Galapagos

Change is not something unfamiliar to the Galapagos Islands. Centuries of volcanic eruptions, shifting land barriers and ecological transformations preceded their fame as the paradisical, remote archipelago that inspired Charles Darwin’s theory of evolution. The islands basked in the equatorial sun and patiently bore the many generations of its diverse flora and fauna, untainted by man. But with its discovery came fifteen years of rapid attention from researchers to tourists to the many disenfranchised citizens of Ecuador. Now, the question of long-term sustainability hangs over the Galapagos’ skies, dense with the human fingerprint.
Since the first man laid foot on the Galapagos Islands, the archipelago has housed the most reckless of its guests’ endeavors, from the site of a crazed dentist and his murderous lover’s occult to an inescapable prison, reminiscent of Alcatraz, for the worst of Ecuador’s criminals. But in the short span of the last decade, the Galapagos faced the beginning of unfamiliar challenges, from the invasive species more than 200,000 visitors per year introduce to the ecosystem to the illegal fishing and tortoise-egg hunting committed by the islands’ desperately indignant citizens. According to a 2007 socio-economic report conducted by the Galapagos Conservancy, multinational and bilateral support have allowed for the growth of more local, small enterprises and a more substantial population in search of work. Consequently, the growth of the local markets lures even more tourists into what is now a 418 million dollar enterprise. Reduced government involvement along with the constant commercialization of the islands have committed the Galapagos to a vicious cycle of supply and demand. Unfortunately, most of the Galapagos residents do not live the pristine life suggested by the beauty of the location. Often, they find themselves with the scraps of the feast corporately-owned enterprises enjoy, seeing a mere 63 million dollars from the tourism market.

The pressure created by the socio-economic conditions reels the five sects that govern the Galapagos into a compromising position. Currently, five industries coexist on Isabela Island, the largest Island in the Galapagos by far. As a resident of the island, you’re either a fisherman, a nature and history guide, an employee of the tourism enterprises, an employee for the national park, or a researcher working for the donation-based conservancies. Together, directors representing professionals in each of these markets meet to form the Institutional Authority of Management. While each sector appears to represent their interests on an even keel, conflicts of interests are not uncommon on Isabela. Unlike the harmonious symbiosis enjoyed by the diverse species on the Islands, Isabela’s people face the onerous burdens of an economy strangled in short-term sustainability. Francisco Ortuno, Director of Isabela’s fishing sector stresses, “the five must act as one,” when highlighting the mitigations between the sectors. “Sometimes, it is like four against one, for example, everyone against the fishermen. But, the final decision must be a unanimous vote, so even if one sector disagrees, the dispute goes to the institute,” he said.

On top of the slim career selection, Ortuno also notes, “professions are not something you can just jump into.” Most of the residents on Isabela Island have been working in their respective fields since they were pre-teens, and most of the time, their parents serve as the entry into their field. Due to the current financial conditions, many fishermen must take out loans to live on until the next fishing season. Imagine the oceans’ womanly inconsistent and the luck of next season’s catch determining your next pay check.

Simultaneously, the flora and fauna, particularly the diverse marine life, suffers silently as their very livelihood lines the tables of this archipelago feast. According to the Galapagos Conservancy report, the Galapagos Islands currently maintain “95% of its original biodiversity, representing the global ‘gold standard’ for biological and ecosystem integrity.” Due to the invasive species, pollution caused by the local and tourist population, and the overharvesting of natural resources used to sustain the islands’ booming economy, the nature of the islands, their very worth, deteriorates day by day. Despite the laid-back air suggested by social, lounging sea lions and 200 year old tortoises sun-bathing in the national parks, the biodiversity of this paradise “depend[s] on the decisions taken regarding sustainable development in the short term.”

So, in light of the vicious cycle of unsustainability, fueled by the growing pressures for more tourist concessions, an increasing local population demanding a better living conditions, and the instability of the government in Quito, can the many residents and visitors of the Galapagos Islands make the shift to long-term sustainability. One thing is clear—the answer will determine the fate of the unique, ancient animals and plants of the islands. They are the living fossils that attract the minds of the islands’ many admirers. They are the feast. Let’s hope we don’t eat too much too fast.