University of Aarhus ECOTOURISM AS A WAY TO PROTECT ...

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Ecotourism as a sustainable way to protect nature d. Massive extraction of marine resources (marine fisheries) There are indications that artisanal fishing is affecting exploited marine communities. They are not only affecting the target species, they also have a cascading effect on non-commercial species and the ecosystem in general (Ruttenberg, 2001) Management and control of the marine resources have been very poor before 1986, and after 1986 it has been run by “everyone and no one”, the navy, the ministry of Industry and fishery, and INEFAN (the national service that falls under the ministry of Agriculture and livestock). But lack of management and control has allowed the overexploitation of the marine resources. In recent years local fishermen (many of them new arrivals), commercial fishing, and trawlers (many foreign) have been doing illegal and highly destructive commercial fishing within the marine park for lobsters, tuna, sharks, grouper and sea cucumber. Japanese ships are frequently spotted just outside the reserves, where they sell their illegal catches. Divers also report findings of dead sharks, sea lions and turtles attached in nets. There are also reports that boats from mainland comes to exchange sea cucumbers with prostitutes and drugs (Honey, 1999). For two decades a battle has been going on between the national park service and fishermen and industrial fishing groups, about how the marine reserve should be used. In 1994 Ecuadorian television showed shocking footage of large clandestine encampments of sea cucumber fishermen, who were diving into shallow waters and collecting an estimated 150.000 cucumbers per day. The sea cucumbers were clandestinely exported to Japan, Taiwan and Hong Kong, where they were eaten or used in medicines. Shortly after the illegal camps were shown in television, park guards and tour guides discovered 86 butchered giant 52
Ecotourism as a sustainable way to protect nature tortoises on Isabela Island. The fishermen were widely suspected to have been behind the slaughter. Then in 1995 an enormous fire started on Isabela and burned for month destroying big areas. Sabotage was suspected (Honey, 1999). There was disagreement in the government on how to solve the problem, with congress member Eduardo Veliz favouring fishery, and the national park service and ministry of Agriculture (together with the tourism industry, scientist, and research station) opposing collection of sea cucumber in the marine reserve. The final solution was a three-month period where fishermen could harvest no more than 550.000 sea cucumbers. The experiment was disastrous. No effective controls or enforcement were put in place, and before the period was over, 6 to 10 million sea cucumbers were harvested (Honey, 1999). After the three months when the government announced that it was closing the fishing season, the conflict escalated. Groups of masked sea cucumber fishermen with clubs blockaded the national park headquarters and research station, forcing the staff members to stay inside the building and threatening to kill the tortoises. The blockade lasted in four days, until the government flew in military troops and representatives of the fisheries authority to negotiate. Congressman Veliz managed to push through a law, which had something to offer to everyone, but nothing for conservation. In 1995, Ecuador’s president vetoed the legislation, which lead to a three-week strike (a very militant action) leaded by Veliz. Protestors blockaded and closed down the airport on San Christobal and Baltra, and again the park service and research station. Veliz even threatened to kidnap tourist and burn area of the national park. After this tour operators reported a drop in reservation of 15%. When the strike was finally called off, the president set up a commission to draft a New Special Law for the conservation of the Galapagos (Honey, 1999). Though the law provides an 53
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University of Aarhus ECOTOURISM AS A WAY TO PROTECT ...

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