The Evolution Revolution

Che may have revolutionized Latin America, but Darwin revolutionized the theory of Evolution based on his time sailing through the Galapagos and around. There he studied the birds which would eventually be known as the Darwin finches; 13 different species of birds that evolved based on conditions in their habitat. In 1859, he published his work in the manuscript, On the Origin of Species stating his theories on natural selection that rocked the world and which has now become textbook material for all students. 2009 represents the 150th anniversary of his publication and Darwin's 200th birthday.

Before the Galapagos became the tourist haven it is today, it was a fishing port and penal colony. Not until the 70's did tourists start arriving and now the government and environmentalists have had to put limits on the numbers. Moreover, strict rules are in place in regards to bringing in new plants and animals. Previously, sailors and pirates brought goats, cats, dogs and invariably rats onto the islands. As a result, the introduced species have wiped out some of the endemic species (species only found on the Galapagos islands) and have endangered others. The government has implemented a "kill goat" program (not sure the real technical name). They have helicopters that patrol the islands and then shoot any goats they see. They later round them up and discard of them elsewhere. During my cruise, I often saw the helicopters flying above, but no death raids. The $110 tourist fee goes towards this goat eradication program and 3 islands remain free of goats now. Unfortunately, the rats, wild dogs, pigs and cats may never be completely eradicated and they continue to feed on young tortoises and their eggs.

Man also once represented a major threat to the islands. He would kill the tortoises, sharks, and the sea lions for their fat and meat. Even up until 3 years ago, fisherman plucked the crabs off the rocks. No longer. Every native animal (species found naturally in the Galapagos and in other areas) and endemic animal seems to be protected. Dogs even patrol tourist suitcases to make sure no one is taking home shark meat.

The guayaba fruit is wiping out a lot of the native plants on the islands. Man brought the fruit over to live off the island not realizing the consequences to the endemic and native plants. I'm unclear of the exact plan to protect the plant life, but from what I understand, trying to eradicate the guayaba fruit may be an impossible task.

Upon arriving in the Galapagos, I had expected to see completely deserted islands and was disappointed to find that 4 of the islands are inhabited, some overly inhabitated. The effects of man can be seen in the empty plastic bottles littering the beaches and trash found in the bushes. I became so frustrated at the sight of so many plastic bottles that I just started picking them up as I walked along the roads. Although I noticed someone responsible for cleaning the streets, I don't think they are doing a very good job.

The locals also don't always use caution when driving. The tortoises walk so slowly and can't exactly scamper out of the way of an oncoming car. I barely ran out of the way of some of these cars. While I was visiting Isabela island, a local ran over a giant tortoise and then drove off. Luckily, another local witnessed this hit and run and wrote down the info on the car. I visited the tortoise at the tortoise center and found him wrapped up in duct tape to bridge his cracked shell and still bleeding. Sad to see, but interesting to note that duct tape can be used on anything.

The government has put a stop to the number of residents on the islands and only original residents of the Galapagos and family members can live there and set up business. To support the local community, only people from the Galapagos can be guides and more of the money from the cruises will be sent to the locals. As it stands now, almost all of the money from cruises circles back to the mainland or to foreign investment.

Overall, natural selection will take over if we don´t change our patterns; the wildlife will either evolve with the presence of man or die. I didn't mean to be such a downer when writing this. To end on a happier note, people are aware of the danger of tourism and the effects of introduced animals and plants and are actively doing something about it all. Whether it is enough is yet to be known, but education is of the utmost importance and every tourist visiting the islands gains a better understanding of the importance of preserving the environment and wildlife and hopefully carries that information forward in some positive manner.