The Galapagos Islands

The Galapagos Islands

The Galapagos Islands are a group of 16 islands located in the Pacific Ocean that straddle the equator about 525 miles west of the South American Coastline. The islands were formed by underwater volcanoes millions of years ago and belong to Ecuador. The Galapagos are well known for their vast diversity in plant and animal populations. Some of the plant and animal life found on the islands cannot be found anywhere else in the world. The Galapagos Islands are considered to be the last oceanic archipelago in the world that retains over 95% of its original biodiversity (Watkins and Cruz, 2007). These unique islands have had many influences on science and human philosophy through the many studies conducted by Charles Darwin. Due to the beauty and uniqueness of the Galapagos Islands they became a major tourist attraction and each year nets millions of dollars in profits for the Ecuadorian government. All the fame and fortune does not come without a price though.

There are many species of animals native to the Galapagos Islands. Some of these are in danger of extinction and some cannot be found anywhere else in the world. The most famous animals on the island are the Finches. These finches are well known through the studies of Charles Darwin and his theory of evolution through natural selection. The birds are very different from finches found on the mainland because their beaks have all evolved to suit their nutritional needs on the island. There are also six different species of tortoise on the island. The most well known is the Giant Sea Tortoise. There are also many different Iguanas and Sea Lions that have called the Galapagos home for many years.

There is some wildlife found on the islands that was not there many years ago. These include goats, pigs, rats, and many domesticated pets that were brought to the islands, either purposely or accidentally, by tourists and migrants who came to live in paradise. Once the animals were introduced to the islands they began to multiply and can now be found on all the islands.

Along with a diverse animal population, the Galapagos has a very diverse plant population with about 700 different species of plants. About 40% of the plants on the Galapagos are endemic (Galapagos Online, 1999). One of the unique plants on the islands is the Scalesia, or tree daisy. The Scalesia is a white flower that has a beautiful light pink pigment to it. These are known as “Darwin’s finches of the plant world” because they show dramatic patterns of adaptive radiation. The Passion Flower is another unique plant to the islands. These purple flowers start as a vine that spreads along the ground and climbs up shrubs and tree trunks. The last plant that I am going to discuss is one everyone has heard of, but grows very different on the islands. It is the tomato plant. The tomatoes on the Galapagos grow in the water. These plants have been the basis of much research for scientists in the field of hydroponics.

Like the animal life on the Galapagos, some of the plant life was not an original part of the islands. Of the 700 species of plants found on the islands, 200 of them are non-native (Galapagos Online, 1999). Three examples of these plants are the Quanine trees, Guava trees, and Elephant grass. As with the animals, these plants were introduced to the islands by tourists. Some were not intentionally brought to the islands, but once they were on the island they spread and can be found throughout the Galapagos.

With all the plant and animal life on the islands there is a competition for food and survival. This form of natural selection would cause the extinction of many species of plant and animal on the islands if humans did not intervene. One way humans intervene is by hiring hunters to come in and kill some of the goat population. The goats are eating much of the vegetation on the islands. The endangered tortoises on the islands need this vegetation for survival. Another example of the intervention is with the Guava and Quanine trees. These trees are abundant and have large canopies that produce too much shade. The shade blocks the sunlight from reaching the flora beneath the trees causing the low-lying plants to die out. The Ecuadorian government hires people to come in and harvest the trees to allow more sunlight to reach the plants.

Human intrusions are the largest threat to the ecosystem on the Galapagos Islands. This is due to the increase in tourism over the past 16 years. Tourism has grown at a rate of 14% per year (Watkins and Cruz, 2007). The number of hotels on the islands has increased from 33 to 65 and the number of bars and restaurants has increased from 880 to 1,668 (Watkins and Cruz, 2007). This is definitely an indicator of how much tourism has grown on the islands. This causes massive problems in the ecosystem. The only way to these tourists can get to the islands is by boat. The boats that bring the people to the islands are bringing more pollution and waste. The tourists on these boats are bringing plants and animals with them that carry germs, disease, and insects that threaten the native populations on the islands.

These problems with preservation have been known for years and the Ecuadorian government has made attempts to resolve them. The government restricted the number of tourists allowed on the island at a time but this number was not enforced and continued to grow over the years. The reason for this is money; the more restrictions the government placed on tourism, the less money they received. Placing the tourism restrictions did cause some economic hardship but they made