Visit the Galapagos Islands responsibly

by Annie Scott on


The Galapagos Islands can be paradise for travelers and locals alike — let’s keep it that way. There are a number of eco-friendly tours and hotels available, so read this before you plan your next trip.

According to Wikipedia:
“In 1990 the archipelago became a whale sanctuary. In 1978 UNESCO recognised the islands as a World Heritage Site, and in 1985 a Biosphere Reserve. This was later extended in December 2001 to include the marine reserve.”

Some of the species that live there include land and marine iguanas, freaking huge turtles (Latin name: Turtlus Frakhugolous), tropical albatrosses, sea cucumbers, four different types of mockingbirds, hawks, penguins, and one of my all-time favorite animals, the blue-footed booby (left).

The main ecological threat to the the islands is introduced species; so don’t bring any plants or animals with you when you go — that’s a no-brainer. Other notable threats: Over-fishing and over-tourism.

Don’t be an over-tourist; leave Galapagos better than you found it. Here are some ways:
Responsible Travel
Responsible Travel has a number of low-impact tours around the world, and Galapagos is no exception. For about $1229.32, excluding flights, you can explore Quito and San Cristobal for two weeks, and even engage in some voluntourism: “Depending on the station’s needs, you could help plant new crops, assist in light building activities, or help maintain the trails around the island.” … “You will work on both the habitat restoration and agricultural components while at the reserve. In addition, foundation staff will lead you on various hikes to a nearby lagoon, native forests, beaches, and local villages to explain the ecological and human dynamics of Galapagos.”

Ecoventura
Ecoventura is a Galapagos-based cruise and tour company who is “the first company to earn and maintain the ecological certification, SmartVoyager since 2000, the first Galapagos cruise ship company to offset carbon emissions and to install alternative energy sources.” We like that, but the proof’s in the pudding: Check out their 10 Reasons to Book with Ecoventura. I’d go tomorrow.

Some eco-friendly hotel options:
Finch Bay Hotel – 4 Days, 3 Nights from $1,053.00; a bunch of adventure trips available.
Black Sheep Inn – Shared bathroom and bunkroom from $32.50 per person per night.
Red Mangrove Galapagos Lodges – located on three separate islands from around $177 per night.
The Royal Palm Hotel – 5 Star accommodation from $375.00 per night.

Click here for a list of Smart Voyager certified hotels, which meet their criteria to “guarantee a decrease in the environmental impacts that a tourist operation may generate, ensuring direct benefits to the local population and an active participation by the tourist in the conservation of natural resources.”

As they say in Ecuador, “buen viaje!”

Galapagos sea tortoise “Lonesome George” is lonesome no more

by Kraig Becker on

Visitors to the Galapagos have no doubt caught a glimpse of one of the islands’ more famous inhabitants, a very rare sea turtle that is believed to be the last of his subspecies, and the rarest creature on Earth, who was affectionately dubbed Lonesome George more than three decades ago, when he was first brought to the his current home.

The Pinta Island Giant Tortoise, who weighs nearly 200 pounds, has never mated, and his species is in danger of disappearing completely when George finally passes on. But earlier this week it was announced that George has found a mate at last (two in fact!) and he may be a father sometime in the next 120 days.

George has recently been shacking up with two females of a different subspecies, and last week his handlers discovered five perfect eggs in the sea tortoise pen. They were carefully removed, weighed, and put into an incubator, where they will be watched carefully over the next 16 weeks until they hatch.

For the Pinta Island Giant Tortoise, this may be a glimmer of hope of salvaging the species from the brink of extinction. Although George is estimated to be about 90 years old, he is just now entering his sexual prime, and the species can live to be 150. That means he has the chance to father a few more children in the decades ahead, and perhaps we’ll see more of his species returning to the Galapagos.

Everglades to be put back on U.N. endangered list?

by Kraig Becker on

Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar is meeting with a task force charged with overseeing the restoration of the Florida Everglades this week. He intends to tell them that the Obama administration will ask the United Nations World Heritage Committee to put the national park back on its endangered list when the committee meet in Spain this week.

Two years ago, in what has been viewed as a controversial decision, the Bush administration requested that the U.N. remove the Everglades from the list. At the time, the Department of the Interior defended the decision by citing progress being made in protecting the region and the species that lived there, despite the fact that the restoration program had failed to meet milestones, and was billions over budget.

The current administration believes restoring the Everglades National Park to the list of endangered places will send a strong signal to environmentalists that they are committed to the protecting the environment. If restored to the list, the park will join the Galapagos Islands, the Old City of Jerusalem and Afghanistan’s Bamiyan Valley as the other World Heritage Sites considered to be in danger. The Everglades were originally added to the list back in 1993 when the area was damaged by Hurricane Andrew and the effects of prolonged exposure to water pollution became known.

Despite the issues effecting the park, the Everglades remains a popular tourist destination. There are more than 156 miles of canoe/kayak and hiking trails, with 47 designated campsites, inside the 2500 square miles of subtropical forest that define the parks boundaries. The Park Service reports that over one million visitors experience the Everglades each year.

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Ecoventura vows to eliminate fossil fuels

by Sean McLachlan on

Environmental tour company Ecoventura has promised to stop using fossil fuels on its vessels by 2015. Ecoventura runs environmentally conscious boat tours to the Galapagos Islands, a unique ecosystem that is under threat by climate change and tourism.

“The Galapagos Islands rank right up there with the Amazon and the Serengeti as one of the richest and best known, yet fragile and threatened, ecosystems in the world. Now, the Ecuadoran government is looking to a range of alternative energy resources to make sure it stays that way,” reports Triple Pundit, a leading website on responsible business practices.

“The Ecuadoran government has turned to wind and solar power as a means of realizing its goals. Along with a range of international aid organizations and private sector businesses, it’s working to eliminate the use of fossil fuels on the Galapagos Islands by 2015.”

One of Ecoventura’s four yachts, the M/Y ERIC, is equipped with solar panels and wind turbines to replace some of its diesel consumption. The company hopes to have these on all its yachts by 2011.

In addition to reducing fossil fuels, Ecoventura donates to carbon-offsetting programs, prompting NativeEnergy to award it with a “Cool Business Certificate” last month. NativeEnergy hosts numerous projects aimed at reducing carbon emissions; the one Ecoventura supports is the Cascade Sierra Solutions Trucking Project, which works to make trucks more fuel-efficient and therefore reduce their carbon emissions.

Ecoventura estimates they have offset slightly more than 4,000 tons of CO2 emissions this year, and hopes to offset more with its renewable energy plan for its boats.

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Galapagos’s La Cumbre erupts = Don’t go there now, but go there soon!

by Brenda Yun on

This weekend exploded with travel alerts — namely from the hot destination of Thailand. Certainly the recent riots and political upheaval in Bangkok has cooled the tourist trail for a little while. But something else was erupting on the other side of the globe — off the coast of Ecuador in the Galapagos Islands, to be exact: La Cumbre volcano.

The volcano on the uninhabited island of Fernandina Island has been inactive for nearly five years, but this Saturday activity arose in the form of lava, smoke, and toxic gases. While there is no threat to humans, this island chain has long been home to rare animal and plant life, and La Cumbre’s recent activity could very likely affect the marine life and fauna on and around Fernandina.

What this means for travelers? Once the activity dies down, you should as soon as possible get your butt over to the Galapagos before it’s too late.

[via the Associated Press]