Wanderlust - 04.2020

wanderlust.co.uk April 2020 29

INTERVIEW EXPLORE

ourguidebutourfriend.Heis

ashiningexampleofwhywe

shouldbeoptimisticaboutthe

futureoftheislands.Hispassion

andenthusiasmtransmitsitself

toeveryonehemeets.We’reall

alittlebitguiltyoftrophy

huntingwithourcameras,but

withsomeonelikePabloyou

don’t,becauseyou’relistening

andlearning.Plus,you’re

employingalocalandinjecting

moneyintotheeconomy.

Isitagoodplacetotravel

withyourfamily?

Deinitely.It’slifealteringforlittle

ones.MydaughterIslacalledit

acrazy,fantasyplace.It’s

somewherewhereyouwalk

downtheroadandyouseeasea

lion,aniguana,gianttortoises,

blue-footedboobiesandthen

presenceofpeople.Peoplefeel

partofthebiggerpicturethere,

partofawiderecosystem–it’s

utterlybewitchingandutopian.

It’salsothehomeof

evolutionaryscience.We’veall

seenitamilliontimesonourTV

screens,andIthinkthatmakesit

arealbucket-listdestination.But

withthatcomesproblems.

Whatarethechallenges?

Atthemomentit’sjustthesheer

numberofpeoplevisiting.When

itwassetupasaWorldHeritage

sitein1978,UNESCOsaiditcould

haveabout10,000visitorsayear

andnowthere’s300,000.Iwould

neversay‘don’tvisit’,butIwould

say‘travelresponsibly’.Invasive

speciesareamassiveissueso

makesureyou’renotbringing

anythinginwithyou.Pickyour

touroperatorcarefully;make

surethey’recontributingtowards

conservationeorts.

Havetheislandschanged

sinceyourirstvisitin2001?

Thereisalotmorefootfall,but

theinfrastructureisnowthere

todealwiththosevisitors.

Whatwasitlikehavingtop

conservationguidewinner

PabloValladaresasaguide?

Itmassivelyenhancedthe

ly

Following on from the TV series, the presenter and marine biologist’s new book My Family

and the Galápagos highlights the draws and challenges of this unique archipelago

Go co.uk/205

Readthefullinterviewonline

What was the aim of the book?

It was partially a diary. I always

really enjoy writing about the

girls, but the Galápagos are such

an important set of islands. I think

it’s quite important to write about

the conservation status of the

islands and the issues they’re

facing. They’re a benchmark for

the way we behave around the

rest of the world. If we can’t get it

right there, we’re in a spot of

bother elsewhere.

Why did you decide to write it?

Gerald Durrell is a huge hero of

mine. His book My Family and

Other Animals inspired a whole

new generation. I’m not saying

My Family and the Galápagos is

anywhere in the same league,

but for me, personally, to travel

with my family to a place that

was so precious to me and to

others, and to have the chance

to write a book about it, was an

absolute treat.

Why is the Galápagos special?

We throw around the expression

unique, but the Galápagos is

unique. It’s got the highest level

ofendemism(totallyunique

speciesononesite)ofpretty

muchanywhere.

Theotherthingisthewaythe

wildlifebehaves.They’rejust

sharksinthesea.There’sno

betterplaceintheworldtomake

amini-marinebiologist.

Whowerethewildlifestars?

Probablythemarineiguanas.

Darwincalledthem“impsof

darkness”,butthey’reincredible

survivors.Theycanshrinktheir

skeletonsbyupto20%when

foodisshort.Andthey’re

synonymouswiththeGalápagos.

Whatisyourhopeforthe

futureofthearchipelago?

Thereisthisnewgeneration

whoaresupercommittedto

makingadierence.Andyou

haveincredibleindividualslike

PabloleadingtheeortsoI’m

moreoptimisticthanIwas.

Shouldpeoplevisit?

There’sareallyinterestingschool

ofthoughtthatsaysthewayto

protectthemostdelicate

environmentsistosendtourists

there.Itgivesthemvalueand

makessurethey’reprotected.

Youcantravelthereaslongas

youtravelwell.

We are family

Snorkelling in

the Galápagos

My Family and the Galapagos by

Monty Halls (Headline, £20) is

out now in hardback.

Monty

Halls

MONTY L