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The Galapagos Islands

The Galapagos Islands are a group of 14 islands located along the Earth’s equator in the

Pacific Ocean off the coasts of Ecuador and is one of the highest areas of volcanic activity on the

planet. The climates of the Galapagos range from a hot/wet season to a cool/dry season, such

temperatures provide an excellent environment for a variety of both plants and animals to

survive. Perhaps some of the most notable species on the islands are the ones that are unique to

the area, such as Galapagos Sea Lion, Giant Tortoise, Galapagos Fur Seal, Galapagos Iguanas,

and Galapagos Penguin as well as almost 40 different species of birds. Of course the best known

animal of the Galapagos is the Giants Tortoise that the islands were named for, “Galapago”

literally meaning “Tortoise” in Spanish.

In addition to the variety of animal life on the Galapagos, there are over 560 species of

different plant life. There are several different plants including peppers, cotton, tomatoes, guava,

and even passion flowers that have unique species that are only found in the Isles of the

Galapagos. The plant life of the Galapagos is considered to be very hardy and resilient due to

the climate extremes and their ability to survive in such conditions. The flora and fauna of the

Galapagos fair well against their natural environment, however it is the outside forces that

provide problems to the plant life. For example, many different species of plants have been

introduced to the area by people that have cause major problems; such as the guava tree, when it

was first introduced it quickly spread and began to take over a good portion of the land from the

native plants. These new invading trees were extremely difficult to manage and were very

resilient and even began to block out the light to the surrounding fauna, causing a lot of native

fauna to now be endangered. The invading plant life didn’t only affect the plant life but the

various native animal life as well. Over the various years the introduction of the new plant and

animal life has both hindered and contributed to the variety of the Galapagos Island, however it
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is this Biological diversity is what allows the various species to live in connection with one

another allowing the environment to change and adapt at all times.

The Galapagos Islands do face a variety of threats from invading species, but another big

threats to the overall ecosystem is the tourism on the islands, an industry that draws in more of

one of the island’s biggest threats, humans. The Galapagos Islands have been a magnet for

tourist for many years and the rate of tourism is continually growing which causes more area to

be cleared and more attractions to be built in order to support to new influx of tourists. For

example over the years two different airport were needed to support the arrival of new visitors

and a third is even being discussed, not to mention the various parks, resorts, and yachts that all

need places to go. As all of these new places are being build more and more species of animal

and plant life is being force to move into smaller and smaller areas. In addition to the simple

land use problems, the added population increases the amount of trash and waste that begin to

clutter the area as well as the different forms of air pollution being pumped into the air. Beyond

the air, fishing has also become a large industry causing major problems and endangering many

of the different aquatic species, such as the Sea Cucumber and various sharks. In order to

combat such danger to the waters, the National Park Services Department has placed a ban on

fishing for many of the surrounding areas; this also helps to preserve some of the endangered

species.

There are a variety of measures taken as well as safeguards that have been put in place

over years in order to combat some of the dangers to the Galapagos. A number of different

convervations laws have been established for the simple purpose of protecting the environment.

One of the steps take to protect this rich treasure was the creation of the Galapagos National

Park, which covers more than 90% of the islands and has a many rules and regulations that

protect the various plants and animals as well as the overall environment. Some of these rules
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included not disturbing any animal; that no outside live material or food can be brought to the

islands; and a strict no littering law. The Charles Darwin Research Station is another great

organization that was created to help protect the area, actually created by the government of

Ecuador in order to continually study the various plant life of the area. Another great example of

the organizations put in place to protect the area is the Galapagos Marine Reserve, which protect

all of the water surrounding the islands that has been put in danger by fishing and overall

tourism.

There are many things that we as humans ourselves can do in order to help preserver this

wondrous area as well as other like it. To focus on the area of the Galapagos, simply follow the

rules already put in place to protect it and not simply overlook them; these rules are designed to

prevent things that could serious damage the environment and keep it intact for the generations

to follow. I guess there is nothing that can be done at all until people are able to recognize the

area for what it is worth and realize that there is a problem. A limit on tourism would be an

excellent way to minimize much of the damage inflicted to the area, but at a minimum educate

those who do visit to the dangers. The area can be appreciated by tourism with causing any

permanent harm to the environment, create a plan that would limit the direct interaction of

people with the environment. Many step have already been taken to help minimize outside

element from being introduce into the area (such as food, plants, and so on) but ensuring they are

enforced is also a great step, again educate people as to why it is a problem.

If left unchecked these intrusions and violation of the environment could result in more

damage to the Galapagos Islands that is irreversible, permanent harm to a natural treasure. The

increased damaged done will only result in more and more endanger or even extinct plant and

animal life, entire species that will never be seen again. By continuing to monitor the situation

and enforce safeguards already in place as well as always finding new ways to improve the
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protection and educate people on the danger we can all work together to save this and many

other ecosystems. By simply taking a moment to think of how our actions might affect the world

around us, we can save what we have and pass to the next generation and the next.
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Reference Page
Galapagos Islands.com (1998-2010). Exploring the Galapagos. Retrieved March 7, 2010, from
http://www.galapagosislands.com/html/galapagos_climate.html

Galapagos Islands – Flora. Galapagos Islands Online. Retrieved March 7, 2010, from
http://www.gct.org/flora.html

Smithsonian Magazine (2008). Galapagos Islands. Retrieved March 7, 2010, from

http://www.smithsonianmag.com/specialsections/lifelists/lifelist-galapagos.html

Galapaguide (2009). Galapagos Islands. Retrieved March 7, 2010 from

http://www.galapaguide.com/

Galapagos Conservation Trust (2008). Galapagos Conservation Trust. Retrieved March 7, 2010
from http://www.gct.org/object.html

UNESCO World Heritage Centre (1992-2010). Galapagos Islands. Retrieved March 7, 2010
from http://whc.unesco.org/en/285