The Galapagos Islands is the site of an evolving marine ecosystem-based management effort to preserve the unique biological diversity of the archipelago.
Established in 1998, the Galapagos Marine Reserve is rooted in a bottom-up, collaborative decision-making structure that engages multiple stakeholders.
Population growth, increases in tourism, and overfishing are reducing the populations of certain species and harming the ecosystem.
Conservation strategies include a zoning scheme that prohibits fishing and tourism activities in sensitive locations.
Key factors in the success of ecosystem-based management efforts in the Galapagos Islands were the establishment of expressed legal authorization in the form of a 1998 law, consistent external support, and development of a collaborative decision-making body.
Although challenges still arise, the structure has defused tensions on the archipelago that had erupted into violent protests under an older management regime.
Mission
The Galapagos Marine Reserve states its mission as protecting and conserving the marine-coastal ecosystems of the archipelago and biological diversity for the benefit of humanity, local populations, science and education.
Objectives
The management plan outlines the following objectives:
Lead Organizations
Key Parties
National
Local and Stakeholder
The Galapagos Marine Reserve is managed through a collaborative framework established by the Special Law of 1998. The law established a two-tier decision-making process.
Marine ecosystem-based management in the Galapagos Islands is the result of a national legal framework, called the Special Law of 1998, and the finalizing in 1999 of a management plan that was developed through collaboration with conservation interests and archipelago stakeholders.
The Ecuadorian government had established Galapagos National Park in 1959 at the urging of international scientists. It protected 97 percent of the surface of the islands. Management decisions were top-down. Also in 1959, the Charles Darwin Foundation for the Galapagos Islands was founded. In 1964, Ecuador signed an agreement establishing the foundation as an advisor to the national park.
In 1986, the marine ecosystem received protections through the establishment of the Galapagos Marine Resources Reserve.
Efforts to protect the marine areas were largely ineffective, lacking authority or proper implementation to impose restrictions. By the mid-1990s, user conflicts had escalated. An early closure to a fishing season in 1995 prompted angry fishermen to occupy foundation offices on the archipelago.
In 1996, the Ecuadorian National Protected Areas Authority declared the marine area a Biological Reserve, giving management authority to the park service. The declaration also required the park service to revise its management plan to include the marine ecosystem. To defuse user conflicts, the park service and foundation actively engaged stakeholders in the development of the plan and hired conflict managers to facilitate the process. The World Wildlife Fund provided financial support to the 18-month-long process.
As the management plan development process continued, Ecuador in 1998 enacted the Special Law for the Conservation and Sustainable Use of the Province of Galapagos. The law provided additional legal basis for regulating marine activities and enforcing restrictions. The law also mandated stakeholder participation and shifted management decisions to local bodies.
The Ecosystem
The Galapagos Archipelago, located approximately 1000 kilometers west of continental Ecuador, includes 13 large islands, six smaller islands, and 107 islets and rocks.
The Islands are known internationally for their ecological significance, Charles Darwin’s theory of evolution, and more recently have become a tourist destination.
The archipelago lies at the confluence of three major ocean currents. The mixing of warm and cool waters is responsible for the high level of both endemic and native species – nearly 9,000 – and accounts for the approximately 3,000 described species of marine plants and animals. The marine ecosystem is incredibly diverse, supporting cold water species such as penguins and warm water species such as manta rays and corals. It supports about 400 species of fish and provides habitat for marine iguanas, the only lizard that swims in the ocean. Other notable species include anemones, crabs, sharks, sponges, turtles, and urchins.
Threats
Four key stressors have been identified:
The Galapagos Marine Reserve primarily is concerned with fisheries management. It uses the following major strategies to accomplish its conservation objectives:
Zoning
The Participatory Management Board in 2000 approved a plan to zone 130 acres into four categories:
Regulations
Fishery regulations also are used to control fishing activity. Using the sea cucumber fishery as an example, a total of nine criteria were used in 2003 to regulate the fishery. The criteria included total allowable catch, minimum landing size, and the evaluation of population densities. Fishing from a nursery area also was banned.
Enforcement
During the fishing season, Galapagos National Park Service vessels patrol the fishing grounds with at least one Ecuadorian Naval officer aboard. Satellite tracking devices on fishing vessels allow the park service and navy to evaluate ship interaction and zone usage.
Fisheries Monitoring Programme
Fishing activity is monitored through the Fisheries Monitoring Programme, which was initiated in 1997. The Galapagos National Park Service and staff from the Charles Darwin Research Station implement the program with oversight from the Ecuadorian Undersecretary of Fishing. Information is collected on fishing sites, fishing effort, total catch and fishing methods for all extracted species. The process is overseen by fishing observers, landing monitors, park wardens and marine resource officers. Although a recent study indicated the total allowable catch in the fishery had been exceeded nearly every year, the monitoring also contributes to the collection of scientific data and provides helpful information to the Participatory Management Board.
Participatory Evaluation
In an effort to legitimize scientific data, the management plan requires all members of the Participatory Management Board to join in the monitoring and evaluation of the abundance and reproductive capacity of commercial fish stocks within the marine reserve, as well as the impacts of the zoning scheme.
Building a Participatory Process
The Galapagos Marine Reserve has enjoyed sustained participation by stakeholder groups in the Participatory Management Board. Decisions are generally accepted as legitimate by stakeholders. The process has reduced the conflict and hostility among stakeholders.
The process builds the capacity of local stakeholders to participate in management decisions. Fishing sector representatives, for instance, receive training in negotiation skills and data collection. The credibility of the process is strengthened. More durable decisions are made.
The strengthened relationships and communication among groups with such a contentious history represent a significant achievement.
The Galapagos Marine Reserve has been facilitated by key factors, including:
The Galapagos Marine Reserve has encountered the following challenges to realizing its conservation goals:
People involved with the Galapagos Marine Reserve have learned:
Galapagos Marine Reserve: http://www.galapagosonline.com/Galapagos_Natural_History/National_Park/Marine_Reserve.html
The Charles Darwin Foundation for the Galapagos Islands: http://www.darwinfoundation.org/english/pages/index.php