| Ecuador HIGHLIGHTS |  |
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| Galapagos Evolution & Conservation: | | The human effect | Conflicting interests | Authorities
| The impact of tourism | The
impact of immigration | The Galapagos Islands have produced many new species of wildlife and marine life that are all unique on planet earth and form an out of this world spectacle of wonderment to the human eye and senses.
This has been mainly attributed to the fact that other animals who pray on tranquil animals, mammals, etc. have been excluded from entry by the sheer remoteness of the lands, for example the lazy bird on the islands never developed their wings for flight because no other animal was going to capture and devour them.
The interaction with humans is on these islands very interesting and gives the human a great sense of wonder within nature. Of interest to many is the giant tortoise, an example of evolution completely different to the outside world and on one island, Isabela. These creatures have even evolved differently within the 5 volcanoes that inhabit the island and is an on going experiment.
Other new types of species included under similar experimentation are donkeys, pigs, cats, dogs, rats and horses. |  The human effect | | The fishing industry is one of the prime culprits in the destruction and extinction of marine life along with black coral and the sea cucumber due to wide shark nets that suck in all forms of ocean life without prejudice in addition to the intended fisher man's prey.
Fortunately from the other side of the human species as trespasser to these sacred lands the various farmers working the lands on the various islands have been catalysts in stimulating wild life to visit their ranches practical insects such as ants to eat the parasites plaguing the cattle to elephant grass for pasture. |  | | Conflicting interests | | The conflict of interest within the various pressure groups is a result of the various commercial fishing and farming professions versus the local settler with the tourist industry falling somewhere in the middle along with scientists.
On the tourist front the current influx of people is around 60,000 while the islands have over 90 major boats with capacities from 10 to 100 people. With respect to this set of jewels of the Pacific islands, west of the archipelago the standards of tourism here is very high with well organized systems and run most efficiently and expediently on all levels of planning. | | | Authorities | | There are 5 major authorities governing the Galapagos and its marine reserves as follows: 1) The National Park Service in Puerto Ayora. Tel. 05-526189, Fax: 05-526190. 2) Instituto Nacional Galapagos (INGALA) 3) The Ecuadorian Navy 4) Charles Darwin Research Station in Puerto Ayora, Tel. 05-526146, cdrs@fcdarwin.org.ec. 5) Local elected authorities, which include: The provincial
council and the municipalities. | | | The impact of tourism | | | An example of stricter changes on these islands can be seen at the Darwin station where tourists are restricted to 56 landing areas through only in specific areas of the island and must walk within defined boundaries from where they are dropped. | | The impact of immigration | | For the poorer mainlander of Ecuador the attraction of growing industries in tourism and general economic strength through increased economies of scale.
The islands offer better pay and working environments.
The direct knock on effect is high rises and exponential growth in property prices and a micro population explosion.
It took until 1998 for the law to catch up and prohibit droves of mainlanders migrating at will to the islands.
The rules also changed for tighter restrictions and boundaries on fishermen, tourists and the farming settlers with specific protocols to be followed. | | | Galapagos Evolution & Conservation: | | The human effect | Conflicting interests | The authorities | The impact of tourism | The impact of immigration | | More about Galapagos: | Puerto Ayora | Puerto Baquerizo Moreno | Isabela | Floreana Classification | Geology | Climate | History | General advice | Scuba diving | FAQ
| Island cruises | Booking a cruise | Recommended boats | Galapagos wildlife |
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| Guayaquil, Ecuador "Pacific Pearl" |
| Discover "The magic of the South Pacific". A complete travel guide to Guayaquil, Ecuador including hotels, tours, travel tips and main attractions. | | Salinas, Ecuador | | The best weather, tours and much more!. Salinas, is considered the best tourist beach resort in Ecuador's Pacific Coastline.... | | Quito, Ecuador | | Ecuador's capital and the country's second largest city. A complete travel guide to Quito, Ecuador including hotels, tours, travel tips and main attractions. | | Ecuador Travel Guide to the Galapagos Islands | | Discover the wonders of the Galapagos Islands including history, tours, travel tips, tour operators, Geology, weather and much more... | | Ecuador "Route of the Sun" | | "Ruta del Sol" is Ecuador's most beautiful coastal scenery road that runs all the way to Esmeraldas..... |
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