Zusammenfassung der Ressource
Galapagos Islands
- Background
- in the Pacific
Ocean: 1,000km
from the South
American
continent
- 13 major
islands, 6
smaller and
hundreds
of islets
- over 12,000
humans
inhabit the
islands
- holds over 1,300
unique species
- formed by
seismic
activity-
led to the
creation
of unusual
species
- a stationary hot spot
created a chain of volcanoes
when the Nazca plate
moved like a conveyor belt
- Threats/
Issues
- Tourism
- the number of annual visitors
has increased rapidly: 12,000 to
160,000 since 1978
- increased demand for more resources
puts stress on the environment
- increased transport around
the islands erodes and disturbs
habitats- the pollution created
also has a negative effect on
land and in sea from boats
- Poaching/
illegal fishing
- can lead to the destruction of ecosystems
and wildlife due to exploitation of
resources, e.g. food, materials
- the hunting of species places them under
threat of extinction, which would change the
entire food web and affect many ecosystems
- Invasive
species
- approx. 543 alien
insects have intruded
on the islands
- (including fire
ants and wasps)
- caused serious issues for both humans and
the animal species native to the islands
- Increasing
population
- the increasing
human population
places pressure on
natural resources
- exploitation of
resources affects
biodiversity and
sustainabiity
- Management/
Solutions
- limited number
of tourists
allowed to visit
each year
- contains the
amount of
destruction
and
transport, etc
to minimise
the impact
on the
environment
- a restriction
was also
placed on
the amount
of boats
allowed to
pass around
and to the
islands
- this reduces the damage that can be created
by disturbing marine life and pollution created
- the number, size and location
of the boats has been restricted
- Invasive
Species
Fund
- a £10
million
fund
- means that the spread of invasive species can be prevented
using methods and materials funded by the money
- Project Pinta
- aims to
introduce species
of reproductive
tortoises
- to restore the
environmental
balance in the
islands and
prevent
extinction
- SICGAL (Galapagos
Inspection and
Quarantine System)
- in the 1990s, they
started inspecting
boats and cargo ships
for invasive species
- this occurred to attempt to reduce the
number of invasive species, especially
insects, from travelling the islands from
abroad and impacting the native wildlife
- Galapagos
Conservancy's
Ecosystem
Restoration
- set up
management
strategies to
uphold the
sustainability
of the islands
- work alongside the
Charles Darwin
Foundation and
local non-profit
organisations
- seeks to rebuild healthy and
balanced plant and animal
environments to their
'pre-human' condition
- Conservation
- inspired Darwin's theory of
evolution after he visited in 1835
- declared one
of the World's
first Heritage
sites in 1978
- Climate
- temperatures
range from
21C to 30C
- warm wet
season:
Jan-June
- cool dry
season:
Jul-Dec