Overfishing, invasive species and rubbish mountains are putting a strain on the islands’ delicate ecosystems
A line of iguanas soaking up the sun on a step in the middle of the tourist area of Puerto Ayora, Santa Cruz Island.A line of iguanas soaking up the sun on a step in the middle of the tourist area of Puerto Ayora, Santa Cruz Island.highlands, surrounded by tall scalesia trees, biologist Carolina Proaño has her head to the ground, checking nests for signs of new eggs or recent visits.
The spike in tourism and population growth in recent years have been the main challenges. Both have risen steadily since 1959, when theFor Proaño, the problem is not humans’ existence in this unique ecosystem, but the way people live and travel as if it were any other town or city.One of the biggest repercussions has been the arrival of alien species.
He says concerns about overpopulation and tourism have repeatedly been raised over his past 50 years of working in the islands, but these ecosystems have remained intact. Conservation efforts have also rescued several species, such as iguanas and tortoises.“All the problems are there, but much can also be achieved with corrective measures. So we have to keep working on that,” he says. “I don’t see the situation very negatively.
Insuasti, known locally as “the plastic man” for his campaigning and weekly rounds picking up plastic on the beach, says he is concerned that millions of dollars go to conservation projects on the islands, which rarely involve engagement with local communities or long-term planning.Outside of the tourist areas in Puerto Ayora, it is not common to find garbage on the streets and in other public areas.
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