Galapagos - Ecuadorean Presidential Decree

[djac5700]

I did a cursory search for this topic and found nothing, so I apologize if this has been discussed before...

Along with other related news articles, last Friday I read the following article on Yahoo News about the ecological peril now faced in the Galapagos:

http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20070414/sc_afp/ecuadorenvironment_070414084634

First, I'd just like to say that it is terrible that this wonderful, unique place is suffering the ill effects of human presence. That said, I have a trip planned through Galapagos Adventures on the Deep Blue in early August (I guess that makes me guilty... eepwalla), and I'm a bit worried about the following article reference:

"The Ecuadorean president's decree called for a temporary suspension of new tourist permits and air links to the archipelago, which is visited by 100,000 tourists each year."

Does anyone else have some more knowledge about the Ecuadorean president's decree? While it is just a quote from one article, I'm worried that the president's actions could impact my trip. If there is anyone on the board who is following this topic more closely, I'd love your input. If you have any other references that may give more details, please post a link...

On a related note - I'm not one to buy extended warranties, protection plans, or, in this case, travel insurance, but now I'm thinking I should heavily consider it. Thoughts? Anyone recommend a particular carrier? Of my search so far, I've found the AMEX insurance to be a pretty good deal at ~$125/person for about $4000 worth of coverage, including trip cancellation. From reading the policy notes, there is no coverage exception if the government enacts a decree that prevents me from visiting the islands. Obviously I'd go to our tour operator first, but this would be good protection just in case... Otherwise, it's nice to know that if I get sick in a way that prevents me from going on a diving trip, that I am covered for cancelling.

 

[EnronX]

From what I've been able to read so far, Correa's main push is to remove the illegals living on the islands...Of the 20K people that live there, 15K or so are considered illegal. That many people living on San Cristobal must put a huge strain on the natural resources of the islands, and needs to be dealt with for sure. The suspension of tourism permits is a big concern for our August departure.

My hope and thinking is that Ecuador will pursue a hard line with the immigrants...Obviosuly their living on the islands much more negatively affects the Galapagos then the fairly-eco friendly tourism. The Galapagos are in affect the golden goose for Ecuador so eliminating tourism would severly affect them...

I would also hope that the tourism lobby would be able to clearly state their case that controlled and non-invasive tourism is nothing but a positive for the islands. The live-aboard business must do a convincing job of showing how little invasion the boats have compared to terrestrial based tourism.

I'm leaning towards getting the trip insurance, just in case but would be curious if anyone else out there has any insight.:shakehead :shakehead

 

[uwslate]

I can't get the darn article to load, but I suspect this means he wants to limit the number of *tour vessels* permitted to work the islands. If this is the case, then it probably won't affect your already-planned trip. It would, however, likely affect your ability to set up a dive charter business in the area.

I'm going in a few weeks and I am ecstatic. I'm of the don't-touch-wildlife school of diving, but know even my presence impacts the ecosystem there. This is a one-time deal and a serious pilgrimage of sorts in our rapidly-disintegrating planet.

I would definitely get trip insurance in addition to DAN insurance. I think I can still take out a policy because we haven't totally paid the entire trip, but I spoke with a dive shop owner today who expressed doubts that one could buy trip insurance *after* booking. I picked up a couple of brochures from an outfit called Travelex, which seems to have acouple of different levels (like, advequate vs. deluxe) which are not unreasonable and which are priced by some function of age and number of trip days.

Anyone else who has Galapagos diving experience in Rabida, Genovesa, and Bartolome, please share...particularly if you went this time of year. I'll look through the boards more thoroughly again, but any advice/experiences welcome.

 

[djac5700]

Since you can't get the article to load, I've posted it here:

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Heavily-toured Galapagos islands in peril
by Hector Velasco
Sat Apr 14, 4:46 AM ET

QUITO (AFP) - Tourism, overpopulation and non-native species are threatening the ecosystem of the Galapagos Islands, the archipelago which inspired British naturalist Charles Darwin's theory of evolution, experts say.

The islands, which attract hordes of tourists each year for their unique array of flora and fauna unseen elsewhere in the world, are "at risk" due to a heavily imperiled ecosystem, Ecuadorean President Rafael Correa has declared.

In order to protect the UNESCO World Heritage site, Correa this week issued orders to restrict tourist traffic, overhead flights and residence permits on the isles 1,000 kilometers (621 miles) from Ecuador's coast.

The situation is so grave that a UNESCO delegation has been dispatched to determine if the archipelago should be officially listed as one of the major world heritage sites that are "in danger."

"We have not yet drawn our conclusions but it should not be any secret to anyone that we are concerned about the islands," said World Conservation Union program director Robert Hofstede.

The mission's findings will be examined from June 23 to July 2 by an intergovernmental committee on world heritage sites in New Zealand.

The situation has worsened in the past 15 years due to the introduction of insects that are harmful to plants and other animal species that are disrupting the native balance, according to the Charles Darwin Foundation research group.

Most of the harmful changes have accompanied a three-fold increase in tourism to the island over the past 15 years as well as a similar rise in immigration, said foundation chief Graham Watkins.

"Studies show that 60 percent of the 1,880 local plants are threatened. We have discovered 490 insect species that have been introduced as well as 53 new invertebrate species, 55 of which are particularly invasive," Watkins said.

The 8,000 square kilometer (3,088 square mile) islands and 45,000 square kilometers (17,374 square miles) of surrounding waters are populated by giant turtles, sharks, Darwin finches, marine iguanas, sea lions, rare trees and insects.

Many specialists have said the situation is grave but not irreversible as long as urgent conservation measures are taken.

"The first thing is to shore up the ecological barrier by limiting the ports of entry: one heliport, one port and (the imposition of) a quarantine declaration," Watkins said.

The Ecuadorean president's decree called for a temporary suspension of new tourist permits and air links to the archipelago, which is visited by 100,000 tourists each year.

Visas will no longer be issued to residents and those who are not legally on the island -- estimated by UNESCO to be around 20 percent of the 30,000 inhabitants -- will be sent home.

A major factor in the ecosystem's decline has been the introduction of dogs, cats, goats and donkeys -- species that were not on the island before.

"Part of the reason we are at this point is because man has introduced these species which have become the Galapagos's main predators," biologist and co-director of the Galapagos Park Carlos Valle told AFP.

Over the past three years, UN workers teamed up with the park to eliminate as many as 80,000 wild goats. These animals' eating habits were threatening the food supply of the turtles who came centuries before.

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I'm not sure what the president's intent is, but the article leads me to believe that it is not just operators that would be impacted. I would love for someone who has been following this more closely to offer his/her thoughts...

I will be on the Deep Blue in August (barring any harsh government action!). This trip is a bit of a pilgramage for me as well. The other poster, EnronX, is actually my dive buddy for the trip. We figure that this is really a once in a lifetime experience, both for the personal and "rapidly-disintegrating planet" reasons.

I definitely also belong to the "do not disturb" mentality of diving (please forgive the blatent contradiction in my avatar - I was younger and stupider then, but have learned my lesson - still like the picture though... ***Avatar changed later***). Also agree that DAN insurance is a must, and am now confident that travel insurance is also worth the expense. As for it being too late to purchase insurance - it is not. The only difference between purchasing insurance at the first deposit (or within 14 days as most dictate) and afterward is that most policies will waive the "pre-existing" condition clause if you purchase in the former timeframe. From what I've read, pre-existing means if you've had any illness or incapacity arise within the previous 60 days prior to purchasing the plan, although that may differ among carriers. So, if you're healthy now and want the coverage, it should still be ok. I've looked around and the average cost is ~$200 for about $4000 in coverage. However, as I mentioned in the last post, I found what seems to be a good plan for ~$125 through AMEX, which offered the type of coverage I was looking for (yours may be different). Here is one site I found useful for comparing travel insurance and reading detailed policy information (sometimes it's tough to find full policy info on the insurance company's website):

http://www.insuremytrip.com

Anyway, enjoy your trip! What operator are you going out on? Make sure you post a trip report and some pics when you return!

 

[uwslate]

You bet!!! (and yes, I was trying to be diplomatic about the pic--but I've done more than my own share of young foolishness! ) The goats, seeds, dogs, etc. are indeed a huge problem--and so are we, unfortunately. I try to avoid "cattle-call" dive boats because of their environmental impact (more people, more stress, more diesel, etc.). I'm just too much of a sailor to enjoy motorboats much. To me, they feel like cars. I can drive at home and I do way more of that than I'd like already.

We booked it ourselves through a firm in Costa Rica (Latin Discover--ask for Laura) and chose the dive boat based on our preference for small liveaboard sailboats and reputation of the boat. We booked the plane tix to and from Ecuador via Kayak.com.

We had hoped to book Sulidae, but that boat is for sale (where's my lottery jackpot?!) and no longer is licensed for Galapagos tours, according to the travel agent. We booked the Encantada instead, which sounds like a fine operation. (here are someone's pix.) I did have a brief e-mail exchange with the captain, who was friendly and professional, and when I asked the travel agent to get specific dive info, I got back a list of depths (in meters), estimated time ranges, and a general explanation of how the boat runs its dives. This is really nice for pre-planning purposes.

The dives themselves are $70 per person per dive, and includes all gear. I think that's pretty reasonable. The ship takes 12 passengers and 5-6 crew, which includes a cook and a naturalist. It's my understanding that the actual dive platform is a panga (inflatable).

I know we need 7 mil suits. I've heard 5 mil is OK, as well. I myself would probably go for a 5 mil suit with a 7 mil hood, because I get cold and I don't care too much for the extra buoyancy of a 7. Because the water temps are in the low 70s before thermoclines, I think that should be sufficient for the short dives we'l be doing.

I've heeded well the warnings about strong currents and am willing to call dives and/or snorkel instead if conditions seem risky on site. The first two dive sites are low current, though, as a rule; the third is strong (the order is Rabida-Bartolome-Genovesa). You can bet we're going with sausages and airhorns.

I know, I know: some folks think Wolf and Darwin are the main point. However, we go in quest of equatorial penguins and there are supposedly hammerheads aplenty in the eastern islands, as well. Hey, anything is interesting to me. I'm good with the eastern islands! I am bummed, though, that we probably won't get to the Post Office. I may bribe the crew to drop some mail in the barrel for me later.

I'm really excited about this trip. We're celebrating my buddy's 50th birthday (a few months early). Looking forward to some great u/w and land photos!

 

[djac5700]

Hi uwslate,

Just wanted to pass along some more info that I received from my tour planner, Ken from Galapagos Adventures. I asked him many of the same questions that I posted at the start of this thread, and he forwarded along some information that he received from an operator in Ecuador. It's not a guarantee, but it provides some reassurance... He gave me permission to post his email, as long as I articulated that the following was sent to him by another operator, not written by him (except the first two sentences):

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It's the press exagerating and bending the truth - something they do well - especially here in the US but all over the world as well. This is from a newsletter I got from an operator in Ecuador:

Recent Headlines: Ecuador's President Declares Galapagos in Crisis

“Galapagos is in a state of emergency,” states the headline in Ecuador’s newspaper, El Comercio. It was referring to a decision made on April 10th by Ecuador’s President, Rafael Correa, who signed an emergency decree stating that Galapagos is in crisis. President Correa stated that he would consider temporarily suspending tourism permits and enforcing rigorous population restrictions to prevent further environmental harm. "We are pushing for a series of actions to overcome the huge institutional, environmental and social crisis in the islands," President Correa said.

He did not give details about possible restrictions. But he ordered the Governor of Galapagos to convene an urgent meeting of the Institute Nacional Galapagos (INGALA). The objective will be to determine the state of conservation and development in the islands, with possible temporary suspension of new tourist and air operations.

News of the decree was widely disseminated in the international news, especially in the UK. One headline mistakenly declared, “Tourists may be banned from Galapagos Islands.” The article stated that “Ecuador's famous Galapagos Islands could be off-limits for tourists after the country's President declared them at risk and in the midst of an environmental crisis.”

Please let you concerned travelers know that no one has advocated a total ban on tourism and all currently booked passengers have nothing to worry about.

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That makes me feel a bit better, but I've decided that I'm still going to purchase the travel insurance.

 

[uwslate]

Sounds good. I also found this, which explains a lot:

http://www.**********/eco/e020204/e020204.html

Tourism threatens Galapagos

Powered by CDNN - Cyber Diver News Network
by FREEMAN WASHINGTON

GALAPAGOS ISLANDS, Ecuador (4 Feb 2002) -- Just over a year after the oil spill that caused the worst ecological disaster since the Galapagos Islands became a major eco tourism destination, the rusting hulk of the oil tanker Jessica reminds visitors of what caused the spill: Tourism.​

On January 16, 2001, Jessica grounded on rocks in Shipwreck Bay near the eastern island of San Cristobal, spewing over 1.1 million liters of bunker fuel into the pristine marine habitats of the remote archipelago that Charles Darwin made famous.
Miraculously, favorable currents and winds carried the oil slick out to sea and only four pelicans and two blue-footed boobies died, but the spill alerted the international community to the threat of humans, especially tourism, to the fragile ecosystems of the Galapagos.
While Paul Watson of Sea Shepherd and a few other US-based environmental groups were quick to blame Jessica's captain and owner of the vessel, most of the international conservationist community understood that the real culprit was tourism.
The bunker fuel was being delivered to tourist vessels that carry some 60,000 visitors annually and spend over $120 million.
Puerto Ayora, the big town of the Galapagos, now 'boasts' internet cafes, restaurants and "I Love Boobies" T-shirt shops.
Although tourism industry officials continue to insist that the islands are not being damaged, many scientists are alarmed.
"When there is overcrowding at the visiting sites, then the species suffer the consequences," said Fernando Espinoza, head of the Charles Darwin Foundation for conservation of the islands.
But despite the Jessica disaster and warnings from ecologists like Espinoza, hordes of tourists still flock to the Galapagos, tempted by giant tortoises, blue-footed boobies and playful sea lions.
LONESOME GEORGE
As tourism in the Galapagos rapidly developed into an industry that generates $120 million annually, it also attracted thousands of poor Ecuadoreans seeking jobs. In the late 1990s, the government finally banned further immigration after the population reached 18,000.
While tourism represents a serious threat to the Galapagos, human impact on the islands is nothing new. During the 19th century, Darwin was not the only one interested in the unique wildlife of the archipelago. Whalers and pirates decimated giant tortoises that were stowed alive upside down in ship holds as a source of fresh meat.

Galapagos oil spill killed at least 15,000 iguana.​

Despite some success protecting and regenerating giant tortoise populations, one of 11 subspecies, geochelone elephantophus abingdoni, will likely become extinct. The last of its kind, Lonesome George, was found 30 years ago on the Pinta island. Despite a $10,000 reward for a female tortoise of the same subspecies, none has ever been found.​

ILLEGAL FISHING
While tourism officials and eco groups such as Sea Shepherd have ignored or played down environmental degradation related to tourism, damage caused by the fishing industry has been well documented and widely publicized.
Over 400 local fishing boat operators have clashed with officials and harassed tourists over quotas designed to sustain endangered sea cucumbers and spiny lobsters.
Illegal fishing by big industrial vessels from mainland Ecuador, Colombia, and Costa Rica as well as Asian ships is an even worse threat to sharks, mantas, turtles, sea lions and other species that are either targeted or die as by-catch in 40-kilometer long nets.
WORLD HERITAGE SITE
Last December, despite stiff opposition from local fishers and residents, the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) designated the Galapagos marine reserve as a world heritage site. The islands were among the first 12 areas to receive UNESCO protection in 1978.
Conservationists worldwide celebrated the decision that will give environmental groups and local ecologists more power to stop over-development by the tourism industry, over-fishing and illegal fishing.
© CDNN - CYBER DIVER NEWS NETWORK

 

[girellator]

Hello
We are going to Galapagos in July with Deep Blue too.( on the 10 days cruise ..)
Thank to have make the question to Ken , so he will not answer me like when I tell him my trouble about El Nino !!!
And he was right now it's El Nina for July ...fine ...
I have taken a ( I hope ) good insurance for this trip , you should do the same because it's a very expensive one ( especially for us who come from France ..) but I'm not sure that if the ecuadorian government cancelled it the insurance will find that they must give me my money back !!
I hope that everything will be alright for you and us and other people who have already reseve their cruise ...

 

[EnronX]

Girellator....we'll be quite anxious to hear your trip report when you get back in July....please be sure to post when you get back!

 

[djac5700]

Thanks for posting the article, uwslate. It was an interesting read... I hope both you and girellator have safe, enjoyable trips! I look forward to the reports when you get back...