some of the biggest tourist developments severely
impacting on the most arid areas, previously only
sparsely populated.
Contemporary problems in the Galápagos: a
threatened evolutionary showcase
On the Galápagos islands, the main terrestrial con-
servation threats include introduced mammals
(goats, pigs, cats, rats, dogs, cattle and donkeys),
aggressive alien plants (e.g. Lantana camara,Cedrela
odorata,Cinchona succirubra,Rubussp., and Psidium
guajava), habitat fragmentation, agricultural
encroachment, over-exploitation and replacement
of native woody species, and fires (Jackson 1995;
Desenderet al. 1999; Cruz et al. 2005). The possibil-
ity of the introduction of exotic disease, as has
afflicted Hawaii’s honeycreepers (Chapter 11), also
constitutes a latent threat. The problems of the
Galápagos are not solely land-based. Overfishing
(e.g. for sea cucumber and lobster) and illegal fish-
ing (especially for shark) by the artisanal fishing
fleet in response to growing overseas markets (e.g.
Merlen 1995) have led to the virtual collapse of the
most lucrative legal fisheries and have resulted in
violent and prolonged disputes between fishermen
and conservationists.
As has happened in other island archipelagos, the
growth of the tourist sector has brought mixed ben-
efits to the Galápagos. Although many tourists
would count themselves environmentalists, their
interest in the islands has stimulated the local econ-
omy and boosted immigration. This population
growth has, in turn, brought additional pressures to
bear on the environment and biota, further fuelling
conflicts between pro-sustainability and pro-develop-
ment and extraction interests (Trillmich 1992; Davis
et al. 1995).
It has been estimated that tourism in the
Galápagos generates in the order of US $350 million
per year but that over 90% of it is retained in the
national economy rather than locally. The number
of visitors to the islands has increased from about
41 000 in 1990 to about 110 000 in 2005, most of
whom are non-Ecuadorians. Each foreign visitor
pays an entrance fee of $100 (as of 2006), and the
additional revenue is generated through tours,
boats, hotels, and other local services (Scott
Henderson, personal communication). Given the
totemic significance of the Galápagos in the develop-
ment of evolutionary theory, it might be anticipated
that there would be a matching conservation focus
and effort. Indeed, the Galápagos National Park
covers 97% of the archipelago and the island have
also been designated a World Heritage Site, a
Biosphere Reserve, and a priority in schemes such
as the 2004 CI hotspots programme.
Research in the park is coordinated by the
Charles Darwin Research Station and the Park
Service. The management of the park aims to pre-
serve the biological uniqueness and intactness of
the islands and surrounding seas, through regulat-
ing resource use and research activities. A compre-
hensive zoning system is a key tool in both
terrestrial and marine realms. Introduced animals
remain the greatest problem, and although feral
goats have been eliminated completely from a
number of smaller islands—with notable recovery
of vegetation—the destruction brought about by
pigs, goats, and donkeys on the large island of
Santiago has been so great that it is doubted
whether a full recovery is now possible (Davis et al.
1995). Pigs eat plants, invertebrates, the eggs and
hatchlings of endemic tortoises, lava lizards, and
Galápagos petrels, amongst other species. As a
result of one of the most ambitious conservation
programmes, the last pig was eliminated from the
large island of Santiago in 2000, at the end of a
30 year campaign. Santiago is now believed to be
free of goats too (Campbell and Donlan 2005) and
none has been spotted recently on Isabela, follow-
ing a campaign in which over 100 000 were eradi-
cated. Over the years, other ambitious conservation
initiatives have been launched, the goals of which
have included fencing against feral mammals,
inventory of the worst alien plants, development of
control and eradication methods, a programme to
develop sustainable timber use, and an ex situ
breeding programme for threatened plants to com-
plementin situefforts.
In May 1989, seven feral goats were observed on
the Alcedo volcano on Isabela: the first confirmed328 ISLAND REMEDIES: THE CONSERVATION OF ISLAND ECOSYSTEMS