Leaving Galapagos

Thoughts on Leaving Galapagos


It's the midnight watch on Saturday, March 27, 2010 and we've been back at sea for two and a half days. Last night, I had the two am watch and saw the moon set at 0230, followed by an incredible array of stars from horizon to horizon. I was accompanied by 8 laughing sea gulls. A few had been with us during the day, but more came along for the evening. Sea birds are interesting. They just appear from nowhere and disappear into nowhere. These weren't too noisy and made for good company as I tried to learn more about the stars of the southern hemisphere. The Southern Cross is beautiful, but I don't know many of the other southern constellations yet. Today, Captain Jon gave the rest of us our first lesson is celestial navigation, and tomorrow we take our first noon site.

I feel very fortunate to have visited the Galapagos Islands. Lucky to have seen the mating dance of the blue-footed booby, the male frigate birds spout their big red chins for the ladies, the tortoises making their slow comeback from near extinction, and the iguanas disguising themselves as lava rock. Lucky to have walked so close up to baby chicks (within 1-2 feet) and observe them and their mothers without the slightest worry that we might be a threat. Lucky to have seen a week old sea lion cub, waiting for its mother's return. Lucky to have seen some of the Earth's geology laid bare on the dried up lava flows. Lucky to have made a dive along a lava wall where we saw white tipped sharks resting on ledges. Lucky to have met so many wonderful and dedicated naturalists who guided our journeys, such as Menino, Jairo, El Gato and Macaron.

These islands are truly unique and special and one leaves with a sense of hope that they can be preserved. That hope is not without some anxiety, however. I was surprised to learn how much the islands were already compromised by the time they became a national park in 1959. Many plant species were introduced that have taken over so much of the vegetation. The guava tree, for example, is now all over the island of Isabella. Photos of the island from the 50s, 60s, 70s, and today show how much the once barren landscape has been covered over with newly introduced vegetation. Also, the introduction of animals, such as cows, goats, pigs and horses, for the use of the human population also changed the environment for the worse. Some of these negative effects are being reversed. For example, they have removed all the goats from most of the islands. But pigs that have gone feral are still hunted as wild boar. We saw two boar carcasses hanging next to someone's bananas and laundry as we drove through the countryside on Isabella. Sadly, overfishing has also damaged the sea life around the islands and the Ecuadorian government has its biggest problems with the local and foreign fishermen.

The biggest shock, however, was how many people actually live in the Galapagos. First of all, about 120,000 tourists visit each year. While those who choose to visit these remote islands are for the most part environmentally conscious, their impact must nevertheless be real. Moreover, 30,000 people live on the island of Santa Cruz! It just seems like too many. The attraction of making money off the tourists is irresistible. The government is trying to find a balance between using selective spaces for tourists and the native population to create wealth in order to protect the rest. 97% of the islands are National Park and most of the islands are uninhabited, but were humans are concentrated, it's difficult to imagine these islands not being even more compromised. How it will turn out, remains to be seen.