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Wednesday, November 01, 2000
Galapagos Action Alert! - Your Support Urgently Needed
All member organizations of IGTOA, the International Galapagos Tour Operators Association, have agreed to send our former travelers to the Galapagos Islands the following urgent alert! This information has been pieced together from e-mails and phone calls received from alarmed residents of Galapagos, staff of the Charles Darwin Research Station on Santa Cruz Island, and the AP News Service.
HELP PROTECT THE GALAPAGOS YOUR LETTER OF SUPPORT IS URGENTLY NEEDED!
Below is information that will allow you to take action and alert the government and press of Ecuador of our profound concern about the future of the Galapagos.
Galapagos, Ecuador
On the week of November 16, 2000, lawless bands of fishermen in the Galapagos Islands attacked conservation installations, ransacked municipal offices, torched a National Park vehicle, harassed tourist groups, took rare captive-bred giant tortoises hostage, and threatened the lives of conservation personnel.
The situation reached crisis proportions around 0630 a.m. on Wednesday 15 November, when the fishermen seized island ports and posted their fast boats at many strategic locations to harass tourists trying to visit wildlife sites. Boat chases and other aggressions were reported against tourist operators who attempted to proceed with their activities. The Galapagos National Park personnel barricaded themselves in their headquarters and the small police contingent (35 men) tried to keep the throngs of fishermen at bay. On the Island of Isabela, the third major fishing port, the situation is reported as totally out of control, with the town mayor said to have fled for his life, though no details have been confirmed.
On November 16, an Associated Press story reported the following:
QUITO, Ecuador (AP) -- Web posted at: 7:56 PM EST (0056 GMT) Some 900 protesting fishermen vacated research stations they had seized in the Galapagos Islands on Thursday, after the government met their demands and loosened limits on lobster trapping. The fishermen had taken control of the Charles Darwin Foundation's research facilities on the islands of Isabela, Santa Cruz and San Cristobal on Wednesday to protest a government-imposed limit on their catches. After talking to the protesters, Environment Minister Rodolfo Rendon on Thursday announced "a new lobster fishing season starting today and lasting until December 31 with a maximum catch of 30 tons." "We have made this decision based exclusively on a technical report from the Charles Darwin Foundation that finds there is an adequate population of lobsters in the Galapagos," he added. In October, the Galapagos fishing commission established a seasonal limit giving fishermen up to three months to harvest no more than 50 tons of lobster. But the weight limit was exceeded after only two months, and 939 fishermen-almost double the number registered in 1999 -- were demanding an extension. Satisfied with the new regulation, the fishermen relinquished control of the research station on Thursday.
Then, in the early hours of Friday 17 November, the Head of the National Park in the island of Isabela, and staff of the Charles Darwin Research Station there were rescued by military officers after they had taken refuge in mangroves, having been pursued and threatened with death by hostile fishermen. The National Park offices were set on fire and those of the Station were sacked by the fishermen, and all of the contents destroyed. The private house of Juan Chavez, Head of the Park office in Isabela, was also sacked and its contents, even down to the toys of his daughters, thrown into the street and destroyed by the fishermen. (A photo of the wrecked crib in the street appeared in the Quito news.)
The fishermen imposed additional demands: 1) a complete abandonment of the lobster fishing quota of 50 tons; 2) dropping all charges leveled at some of their members for previous violence against government property and personnel; and, 3) an active expansion of the Galapagos fisheries management to develop a completely new long-lining industry to harvest currently protected shark within the Galapagos Marine Reserve. This demand comes in complete disregard of scientific advice or the fact that such fishing practices are widely known to pose serious risks to many rare and unique species, such as albatross, sea lions, sea turtles, sharks and many others.
The Galapagos Islands, awarded the title of World Heritage Site by the United Nations, have been recognized as a model of international conservation, with enormous trust placed in the harmonious development of a balance between human needs and environmental protection. The focus of these efforts have at all times been aimed at combining scientifically backed conservation strategies with the sustainable use of the resource for the benefit of both the people and the ecosystem. Current events are redefining those premises in favor of short-term greed.
A show of force and commitment from around the world in defense of law and order and carefully crafted resource management strategies, is desperately needed if the integrity of Galapagos is not to be lost forever.
DEEPLY UNSETTLING QUESTIONS
Why, one might ask, have these thugs once again been allowed not only to get away with serious violence and general disruption of the peace, but also been rewarded with a relaxation of the implementation of fishing regulations that they were a party to creating under the cooperative management strategy advanced by conservationists?
Why have no arrests been made, either during the attacks or subsequently? Is the government really so weak, or is it under pressure not to act against a powerful and well-financed marine products export industry in which the fishermen are but the primary producers, their own greed making them perfect accomplices?
The real tragedy is not actually what happened during those four days last week, but that the thugs are demonstrating with impunity that they can have the last word when it comes to deciding whether or not the Galapagos Marine Reserve will be managed sustainably.
There is a growing notion in Galapagos (though unproven) that this is just the tip of the iceberg, that the lawlessness is not just a clique of short-sighted fishermen and concurrent law-enforcement apathy, but is sparked by a network of outside market forces whose aim it is to systematically vacuum up the rich resources of Galapagos on an industrial scale.
Unless a drastic turn of events comes very soon, it is this grim reality that will shape the future of Galapagos.
UPDATE (11/30/00)
We have learned that the Sea Shepherd, a marine environmental organization, is sending a patrol boat to the Galapagos. This is excellent news, and we hope that it will happen soon. There is a lot of information on their web site about this: www.seashepherd.org
In their site, they list the amount of equipment that was destroyed by the fishermen:
"These are the losses of the Darwin Station and the Galapagos National Park Service that need to be replaced, in order of importance (NEW units only, please):
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4 desktop computers - IBM type
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2 laptop computers
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2 laser printers
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1 base station VHF radio
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1 HF radio SSB
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5 portable radios Motorola PRO 5150
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1 photocopying machine
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2 air conditioning units
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1 television
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1 VCR
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1 video camera Hi8
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1 digital camera
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1 digital scanner
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1 data show projector (Nikon)
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1 35mm still camera
PLEASE TAKE ACTION NOW!
Below is the contact information you need to take action and alert the government and press of Ecuador of our profound concern about the future of the Galapagos.
Included here are:
- Fax and e-mail addresses of key people in Ecuador
- A sample letter for you to send
Letters should be written in a direct but diplomatic way. Send a copy to your own members of Congress.
LIST OF PEOPLE TO CONTACT
Senor Gustavo Noboa
Presidente de la Republica del Ecuador
E-mail: despresi@presidencia.ec-gov.net
Fax: 593-2-580-735
Senor Jorge Rivadeneira
Director
El Comercio News
Fax: 011 - 593 - 2- 671 466
Senora Rocio Vasquez Ministerio de Turismo
Fax: 593-2-229-330
lteran@ambiente.gov.ec
Senor Rodolfo Rendon
Ministro de Medio Ambiente
Fax number: (593 2) 229 511
E-mail: mma@ambiente.gov.ec
Ambassador Ivonne A-Baki
2535 15th Street NW, Washington, DC 20009
Telephone: [1] (202) 234-7200
FAX: [1] (202) 667-3482
SAMPLE LETTER FOR FORMER TRAVELERS
Dear , As a former traveler to the Galapagos, I am shocked at the illegal actions of a group of fishermen in the Galapagos Islands. In the past, The Government of Ecuador has wisely sought to protect the Galapagos Islands by enacting special legislation, seeking the cooperation of all parties involved, and setting aside money for conservation. Now, all of this work is being put at risk by a few irresponsible people. Tourism will help preserve the Galapagos, benefiting the residents of the islands and many other people in Ecuador. This benefit far outweighs the interests of a few people who seek their own gain at the expense of others. We appeal to the Government of Ecuador, the people of the Galapagos, and all authorities involved to take strong actions to safeguard the peaceful residents of the Galapagos. We ask you to stop all criminal activities of this minority and immediately bring those who have committed crimes to justice, without delay. Those who broke the law should be punished. People who use threats, intimidation, and brute force cannot be allowed to decide the future of the Galapagos! We urge you to take strong measures to protect the Galapagos and strictly enforce the rule of law among the people living there, particularly those at the Galapagos National Park and the Charles Darwin Research Station. Sincerely,
