Ecuador Chases Citizens Off Galapagos to Save Islands

UN says too many people on islands is destroying animal habitats

By Katherine Thompson, Newser Staff

Posted Oct 8, 2008 9:48 AM CDT

(Newser) – Ecuador is forcing those without permission to live in the Galapagos to leave, over fears that a growing human population threatens the species that make the islands unique. Even Ecuadorean citizens need special visas to visit the Galapagos, but thousands of mainland migrants have been staying illegally, drawn by high wages and good schools, the Los Angeles Times reports.

Some scientists have called for limits on tourists, rather than residents, but President Rafael Correa maintains that his plan will save the endangered islands. Rising pollution and an influx of non-native animals are the primary threats to the tortoises and other species that inspired Charles Darwin's theory of natural selection. Visits to Galapagos National Park have been jumping 13% per year for the last decade.

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Lava flowing down the northeastern flank of the Cerro Azul volcano on the Isabela island, the largest of the Galapagos Islands, is seen Friday, May 30, 2008. (AP Photo/Galapagos National Park)

An international conservation group launched an ambitious plan to raise tens of millions of dollars to save 189 endangered birds, such as these Waved Albatross, native to the Galapagos Islands. (AP Photo/Simon Stirrup, HO)

Marine iguanas sunbathe on the volcanic rocks of Loberia Beach on San Cristobal Island in the Galapagos Archipelago in this Jan. 25, 2001 file photo. (AP Photo/Ricardo Mazalan, File)

A giant turtle walks on Santa Cruz Island, part of the Galapagos. Ecuadorean President Rafael Correa called for better preservation of the islands, the country's top tourist destination. (AP Photo/Dolores Ochoa)

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When visitors reached 50,000 a year, we said to ourselves, this really is the limit. We can't handle any more. But now it's triple that figure. - Sixto Naranjo, coordinator of the Galapagos National Park

I put up a sign to fill a waiter position today and I got five applicants, none of whom had papers. It's a privilege to live here, but also a responsibility. - cafe owner Hernan Herrera

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Ecuador Chases Citizens Off Galapagos to Save Islands