29 July 2010 | News - Press Release
The World Heritage Committee decided to remove the Galapagos Islands (Ecuador) from the List of World Heritage Sites in Danger, despite IUCN´s recommendation to the contrary.

The Galapagos Islands, which have been called a unique "living museum and showcase of evolution" were inscribed on the Danger List in 2007 because of threats posed by invasive species, unbridled tourism and overfishing.

The Committee found that significant progress had been made by Ecuador in addressing these problems.

“The removal of this unique site of global importance to humanity is somewhat premature,” says IUCN Director General, Julia Marton-Lefevre . “IUCN stands ready to continue its work with the Ecuadorian government to fully implement the recommendations of the World Heritage Committee.”

“IUCN´s recommendation for the Galapagos was that it should not be removed from the Danger List as there is still work to be done,” says Tim Badman, Head of IUCN´s World Heritage Programme . “But we recognize the major efforts of the Ecuadorian government to rectify the situation there.”

“Threats from tourism, invasive species and overfishing are still factors and the situation in the Galapagos remains critical,” adds Badman . “We will need continued strong commitment from the Ecuadorian government over the coming years to resolve these issues.” 

A UNESCO mission has confirmed serious threats to the Galápagos National Park and Marine Reserve and welcomed ambitious measures announced by the Ecuadorian authorities to preserve the site on UNESCO's World Heritage List.

The mission confirmed the threat to the outstanding value and physical integrity of this iconic World Heritage site mainly from: the growing encroachment of invasive species, increasing human immigration, uncontrolled development of tourism, and the failure of various institutions and agencies to deal with these threats.

The mission was carried out in keeping with a decision by the World Heritage Committee to take stock of the situation in the Galápagos Islands, and at the invitation of the Ecuadorian government. Held from 8 to 13 April, it was led by Tumu te Heuheu, Chairman of UNESCO's World Heritage Committee, Kishore Rao, Deputy Director of UNESCO's World Heritage Centre, and Berndt von Droste of the World Conservation Union (IUCN).

The full findings of the mission will be presented to the World Heritage Committee, in charge of implementing UNESCO's World Heritage Convention, at its next meeting, which will take place in Christchurch, New Zealand, from June 23 to July 2. The Committee will review the findings of the mission and agree on actions to help ensure the long-term conservation of this site, including the possibility of inscribing it on the List of World Heritage in Danger (see http://whc.unesco.org/en/guidelines/ paragraphs 177-191 for technical details).

During the visit, members of the mission took part in a multi-stakeholder meeting convened by the Government of Ecuador with the participation of, notably, the ministers and vice-ministers in charge of the environment, multilateral relations, and tourism; the governor of the Galápagos Province and the Mayor of Santa Cruz. The mission also held bilateral meetings with various stakeholder groups and visited some of the key institutions and agencies.

Upon its return to Quito on 12th April, the UNESCO mission met the Minister of External Relations, the Minister for Environment, the Minister for Tourism, the Minister for Internal and External Security, and other senior officials including representatives of intergovernmental, non-governmental and bilateral cooperation agencies.

The mission welcomed the decisive action taken by the President of Ecuador to address comprehensively the long-standing problems of the Galápagos Islands, with a series of new policies to be adopted in the coming two weeks.

January 08 st, 2009

The third shark tagging expedition in the Galapagos Marine Reserve (GMR) concluded last week. More and more is being discovered about these species, which still abound in the area, and each new piece of information enhances their management and further ensures their conservation.

The Charles Darwin Foundation (CDF), Galapagos National Park (GNP), WWF, and Conservation International (CI) launched this third voyage to seek an understanding of hammerhead, Galapagos, and whale shark movements inside and in the area of the GMR. The work of CDF’s BIOMAR team (Department of Marine Research and Coastal Conservation) has been supported by GCT’s Shark Campaign.

A National Geographic filming team went along on this trip to prepare a documentary on hammerhead research work and conservation in the region. During the operation, one hammerhead was followed for 44 straight hours, and two whale sharks and thirty hammerheads were tagged. In addition, all the information recorded in the previously installed underwater monitors was recovered. The most important achievement was the placement of two satellite tags on hammerhead sharks that are now emitting data on their positions…
Visit: www.savegalapagos.org/nov07_2.html

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Tourism Boat Caught With Sea Cucumbers

On 19 January, the tourist boat, Galapagos Adventure II, was caught by the Ecuadorian Merchant Marine four miles off Santa Cruz with 18 sacks of sea cucumbers. The boat was impounded and an investigation was launched by the National Park. No ruling has yet been made. The Galapagos Adventure II belongs to the Galaven company.

Artisinal Fishing Tourism Approved

Artisinal fishing as a tourist activity has been approved by the Inter-institutional Management Authority (AIM). This new form of tourism allows visitors to learn about the art and culture of small-scale fishing by local residents. The fishing sector had proposed this as a way for local fishermen to participate in tourism. No details are available about what will be offered, or by whom.

Source: International Galapagos Tour Operators Association (IGTOA)

Dear Galasam.-

It is already more than one month ago that we have enjoyed our beautiful travel through Ecuador. Our trip to the Galapagos and to the Amazonas were unforgettable. Again I want to thank you because you had arranged such a beautiful lodge for us. But I also want to thank Blanca for here great hospitality. I only do'nt have a mailadres and I do'nt know how to write it in spanish So I hope you wil translate this letter to her. I will remember Ecuador as a beautiful and hospitable country.

I truly hope I will soon return.

With Love, Marie-José Vernooy

Hello Galasam.-

Hello, My wife and I just wanted to write and say how impressed we were with our tour. We had originally booked a 10 day tour of the Galapagos (Sept 23 to Oct 2) through Galsam, the Estrella Del Mar II. Now that we are back home we just wanted let Galasam know that we had a wonderful time and were very impressed with the quality of the tour. The ships crew were very friendly and helpful and the guide, Miguel Angel, was terrific. Not only did he have a good knowledge of the various plants and animals but he was also able to provide some of the history of the islands which made all the difference. What also impressed us was that he was able to converse in several languages which helped all the guests feel more comfortable as he would repeat his explanation in each language. Having a crew and interpreter as friendly and informative as this really helped everyone to get along well and when touring with a group it is the people that can make or break the experience. We will definitely recommend Galasam to our friends. As this is the only email address I could find on your website could you please forward a copy of this email to the Human Resources department and to the manager for Migual Angel and the Estrella Del Mar II.

Sincerely David & Gillian .