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Mail*Link(r) SMTP FWD>New Crisis in the Galapagos Hello fellow paleontologists - I have cross-posted this to TAXACOM, MOLLUSCA, and CONSBIO. Feel free to do likewise to other lists. Background information about the Galapagos crisis can be found by reading: Science 3 February 1995 vol. 267, pp. 611-612. Nature 9 February 1995 vol. 373, p. 465. The Darwin Station has a Web page at: http://fcdarwin.org.ec/index.html Thank you in advance. Matt James matt.james@sonoma.edu (see enclosed material) -------------------------------------- From: The Galapagos Coalition Greg Aplet Matt James Marc Miller To: Members & Friends of the Galapagos Coalition Date: September 14, 1995 Subject: New Galapagos Crisis ____________________________________________________________ A new crisis is developing in the Galapagos with very severe potential consequences, for people and for the islands. The Darwin Station and Galapagos Park have again been seized, an echo of the actions in January of this year. Equally troubling, the Ecuadorian member of Congress from the Galapagos, Eduardo Veliz, seems to have written a letter to the President of Ecuador threatening more violence, including the possible seizure of tourists, unless a series of demands are met. As in January, the dramatic and important events in the Galapagos seem not to have caught the attention of the world media. The following paragraphs summarize the immediate origins of the current crisis as we understand them. On the afternoon of Friday, September 1, 1995, Ecuadorian President Sixto Duran Ballen vetoed a law which had been recently passed by the Ecuadorian National Congress. The law would have shifted substantial governmental authority from the current mix of national government agencies and special Galapagos committees towards much greater local control. The law was criticized by the CDF on a number of grounds, spelled out in a memorandum included with this report. On Sunday, September 3, 1995, after word of the veto spread, Galapagos residents began protests, and on the morning of Monday, September 4, protesters seized the Charles Darwin Research Station (CDRS) and the Galapagos National Park headquarters, and closed the road to the airport for Santa Cruz (the island which includes the CDRS and the town of Puerto Ayora), and closed the archipelago's second major airport at San Cristobal. The lack of complete and current information reflects, in part, the distance of the archipelago from the mainland and the limited communications, which are often not operational, with those on the islands. The remainder of this report includes a set of documents, mostly reports from the Charles Darwin Foundation (CDF). These reports have been substantiated by independent sources, both by telephone, from mainland Ecuador, and in fragmentary e-mail messages and reports. This report includes: 1. Two memoranda from the CDF from September 5th & 6th, describing the current crisis and its origins. 2. Translation of an undated letter from Ecuador Congressman Eduardo Veliz to Ecuador President Duran Ballen. 3. August 30, 1995 letter from International Galapagos Tour OperatorsAssociation President David Blanton to Eduardo Diez 4. Undated CDF memorandum criticizing the proposed law (written, obviously, before the law was vetoed). Please feel free to post this message to other groups. Our immediate goal is simply to inform as many people as possible about what we know of current developments. We will provide further information if, and when, we can get a clearer picture of what is taking place. We also hope to obtain a complete copy of the law which is the source of this dispute, which we will translate and post. Contact: Dr. Gregory H. Aplet Prof. Matt James Prof. Marc Miller The Wilderness Society Sonoma State University Visiting Scholar 900 17th Street, N.W. Geology Department Stanford Law School Washington, D.C. 20006 1801 E. Cotati Ave. Stanford, Ca. 94305 Ph: (202) 429-2684 Rohnert Park, Ca. 94928 Ph: (415) 725-7038 Fax: (202) 429-3959 Ph: (707) 664-2301 Fax: (415) 723-8230 e-mail: Greg_Aplet Fax: (707) 664-2505 e-mail: mmiller @tws.org matt.james@sonoma.edu @law.emory.edu ******************** NOTE: Remember that the Galapagos Coalition electronic mailing list is not a discussion group, but a means of distributing information about developments regarding conservation in the Galapagos. Please provide additional information or questions directly to Greg Aplet, Matt James, <<<<<< Attached TEXT file named "New Crisis in the Galapagos" follows >>>>>> Received: by qmlink.sonoma.edu with SMTP;14 Sep 1995 12:54:08 -0700 Received: from law.emory.edu (serv1.law.emory.edu) by SONOMA.EDU (PMDF V5.0-3 #8366) id <01HV9ME827008ZEVNP@SONOMA.EDU> for matt.james@SONOMA.EDU; Thu, 14 Sep 1995 12:53:53 -0700 (PDT) Received: from serv2 by law.emory.edu (NX5.67e/NX3.0M) id AA01539; Thu, 14 Sep 1995 15:51:46 -0400 Received: by serv2 (NX5.67e/NX3.0X) id AA00876; Thu, 14 Sep 1995 15:52:03 -0400 Date: Thu, 14 Sep 1995 15:52:02 -0400 (EDT) From: "Marc L. Miller" <mmiller@law.emory.edu> Subject: New Crisis in the Galapagos X-Sender: mmiller@serv2 To: galco@law.emory.edu Message-id: <Pine.NXT.3.91.950914154721.825A-100000@serv2.sonoma.edu> MIME-version: 1.0 Content-type: TEXT/PLAIN; charset=US-ASCII Content-transfer-encoding: 7BIT From: The Galapagos Coalition Greg Aplet Matt James Marc Miller To: Members & Friends of the Galapagos Coalition Date: September 14, 1995 Subject: New Galapagos Crisis ____________________________________________________________ A new crisis is developing in the Galapagos with very severe potential consequences, for people and for the islands. The Darwin Station and Galapagos Park have again been seized, an echo of the actions in January of this year. Equally troubling, the Ecuadorian member of Congress from the Galapagos, Eduardo Veliz, seems to have written a letter to the President of Ecuador threatening more violence, including the possible seizure of tourists, unless a series of demands are met. As in January, the dramatic and important events in the Galapagos seem not to have caught the attention of the world media. The following paragraphs summarize the immediate origins of the current crisis as we understand them. On the afternoon of Friday, September 1, 1995, Ecuadorian President Sixto Duran Ballen vetoed a law which had been recently passed by the Ecuadorian National Congress. The law would have shifted substantial governmental authority from the current mix of national government agencies and special Galapagos committees towards much greater local control. The law was criticized by the CDF on a number of grounds, spelled out in a memorandum included with this report. On Sunday, September 3, 1995, after word of the veto spread, Galapagos residents began protests, and on the morning of Monday, September 4, protesters seized the Charles Darwin Research Station (CDRS) and the Galapagos National Park headquarters, and closed the road to the airport for Santa Cruz (the island which includes the CDRS and the town of Puerto Ayora), and closed the archipelago's second major airport at San Cristobal. The lack of complete and current information reflects, in part, the distance of the archipelago from the mainland and the limited communications, which are often not operational, with those on the islands. The remainder of this report includes a set of documents, mostly reports from the Charles Darwin Foundation (CDF). These reports have been substantiated by independent sources, both by telephone, from mainland Ecuador, and in fragmentary e-mail messages and reports. This report includes: 1. Two memoranda from the CDF from September 5th & 6th, describing the current crisis and its origins. 2. Translation of an undated letter from Ecuador Congressman Eduardo Veliz to Ecuador President Duran Ballen. 3. August 30, 1995 letter from International Galapagos Tour OperatorsAssociation President David Blanton to Eduardo Diez 4. Undated CDF memorandum criticizing the proposed law (written, obviously, before the law was vetoed). Please feel free to post this message to other groups. Our immediate goal is simply to inform as many people as possible about what we know of current developments. We will provide further information if, and when, we can get a clearer picture of what is taking place. We also hope to obtain a complete copy of the law which is the source of this dispute, which we will translate and post. Contact: Dr. Gregory H. Aplet Prof. Matt James Prof. Marc Miller The Wilderness Society Sonoma State University Visiting Scholar 900 17th Street, N.W. Geology Department Stanford Law School Washington, D.C. 20006 1801 E. Cotati Ave. Stanford, Ca. 94305 Ph: (202) 429-2684 Rohnert Park, Ca. 94928 Ph: (415) 725-7038 Fax: (202) 429-3959 Ph: (707) 664-2301 Fax: (415) 723-8230 e-mail: Greg_Aplet Fax: (707) 664-2505 e-mail: mmiller @tws.org matt.james@sonoma.edu @law.emory.edu ******************** NOTE: Remember that the Galapagos Coalition electronic mailing list is not a discussion group, but a means of distributing information about developments regarding conservation in the Galapagos. Please provide additional information or questions directly to Greg Aplet, Matt James, or Marc Miller. ******************** CDF MEMORANDUM Fr: Johannah Barry, CDF, Inc. Dt: September 6, 1995 Re: Galapagos Strike/Update I have spoken to some of you regarding the recent events in Galapagos, and I enclose the following: 1. September 6, 1995 update from the CDF, Inc. 2. September 4, 1995 letter from Eduardo Veliz (translated from Spanish by CDF, Inc.) As you may know from various sources by now, the situation in Galapagos is tense, but no one has been injured and there has been little property damage. We are hopeful that things will resolve themselves in relatively short order. We ask that you consider writing a letter to President Duran Ballen. Let me say at the outset that I know we have asked you to do this in past, and that this may seem an enormous imposition on your time. The Galapagos situation is extremely delicate and may only respond to the most diplomatic of overtures. This is a sovereign country, this is technically an internal, provincial governance issue. Our best efforts may well be to support the President' tough decision and back all efforts to restore order and sanity. President Sixto Duran Ballen Presidente Constitucional de la Republica de Ecuador Palacio de Gobierno Quito, Ecuador In your letter, should you choose to do this, please mention the following points: A. The law he vetoed was flawed and did not address the key management issues which face Galapagos. He made an good decision, and Galapagos conservation benefited from his hard line. B. The writer is aware of what's going on (the seizure of public facilities, the siege on the Park and Station, etc.), and is concerned. Please indicate your (your institution's) willingness to help in whatever way is appropriate. C. This siege on Galapagos and the institutions which are involved in conservation (as well as public facilities) is part of a pattern which is of concern. We have seen in just the past nine months incidents where unsatisfied faction have resorted to vi olent acts and incendiary language to effect changes in national policy. We support Ecuador's refusal to negotiation with those who incite violence and threaten terrorists activities, and agree with the government's position that this behavior should not be tolerated. D. A special law for Galapagos is needed and the international community stands ready to help this process. Any new law will need to address issues of uncontrolled migration, introduction of exotic plants and animals, and resource exploitation, and appr opriate social development in Galapagos. Equally, the process to develop such a special law must involve the key responsible citizen groups in Galapagos, as well as other management agencies and Galapagos stakeholders. Our understanding is that this is what President Duran Ballen intends to do. -------------------------------------------- CDF MEMORANDUM Fr: Johannah E. Barry, Charles Darwin Foundation, Inc. Dt: September 5, 1995 Re: Seizure of Galapagos National Park and Charles Darwin Research Station The Galapagos Islands, referred to for decades as the "showcase of evolution" are known worldwide for their biological richness and uniqueness, still largely unaltered evolutionary and ecological processes and unique ecosystems. A clear manifestation of those phenomena are the Islands' extremely high rates of endemism: over 95% of the reptiles, 50% of the birds, 35% of the terrestrial plants, and almost 30% of all marine species are endemic (known only in Galapagos). The ocean waters that weave in and around the islands of the archipelago are as notable in the diversity of the species they support as are the land masses. The extraordinarily high rate of marine endemics have adapted to an unusual set of conditions: co ld upwelling waters, high planktonic productivity, deep waters close to shore, strong surface and undercurrents, and physical isolation from other coastal waters. This extraordinary marine environment and biodiversity is matched, by a world-renowned terrestrial area. The archipelago's 13 medium and large islands and over 115 smaller ones cover almost 8,500 square kilometers (3,500 square miles) of which 97% have b een declared a National Park since 1959. The terrestrial environment's spectacular scenery, and unique ecosystems and species are of immense value to science for studies of evolution, ecology, and geology. At the same time, there is major economic pote ntial through the thoughtful use of its resources. Industrial exploitation of Galapagos flora and fauna is not unknown, but over the last several years, there has been a pattern of significant investment of resources by outside entrepreneurs, and a resulting "frontier" mentality and behavior. As a result of the government's closing of an uncontrolled sea cucumber fishery in December, 1994, a group identifying themselves as pepineros (sea cucumber fishermen), took control of the road to the Charles Darwin Research Station and the Galapagos National Park headquarters in Puerto Ayora on the Island of Santa Cruz several weeks later. The pepineros also closed the road to Baltra, and seized the Station and Park docks. Thankfully, the situation was resolved lawfully and the ban on sea cucumbers was upheld. This pattern of hostile and unlawful actions was to continue, however. On Sunday, September 3, 1995, threats of violence, followed by a series of disruptive actions, began against the Charles Darwin Research Station and Galapagos National Park property and personnel. These actions are taking place in the port cities on thre e inhabited islands, Pto. Baquerizo Moreno (San Cristobal Island), Pto. Ayora (Santa Cruz Island), and Pto. Villamil (Isabela Island). The actions are in response to Ecuadorian President Sixto Duran Ballen's veto of the new special law for Galapagos. This law, sponsored by Eduardo Veliz, the Congressman from Galapagos, was supposed to address the troubling issues of uncontrolled migration, introduced species, and resource exploitation. However the law was a disastrous mix of legislative and regulatory language, which created a morass of new administrative structures, fails to address any of the critical issues for which it was ostensibly drafted, but most importantly, politicized the Park Service. This last element represented an extremely dangerous pr ecedent. No country in the world allows treasures of national and international importance to be controlled and managed largely by local political interests. The President vetoed the law on Friday afternoon, September 1, 1995. Certain factions in villages on these islands, including some government employees, fishermen, and others have targeted personnel and property of the Park and Station in the towns of Baquerizo Moreno, Puerto Ayora, and Villamil. As of Sunday morning, Sep tember 3, 1995 protesters also seized the road on Santa Cruz leading to Baltra Island, closing off the main airport for most people, completely closed the airport in San Cristobal, and seized Park property in Pto. Villamil. On Monday morning, September 4, 1995, protesters armed with machetes and axes descended on the Station and Park headquarters in Pto. Ayora. The actions so far have resulted in seizure of property, holding personnel hostage in the national Park headquarters, direct threats of seizure and harm against personnel and animals at the Darwin Station, and closing of access roads to both institutions. Station personnel were evacuated by boat on Monday evening, have since returned, and no one has been harmed. The Park Director and his family were removed under military protection on Monday night and are safely secluded. We have reports that highly trained troops have been sent to the islands to control the situation. No property has been damaged, but mounds of rubber tires have been incinerated near and around Park buildings. Protesters continue to make threats regarding destruction of Park buildings. No animals have been harmed, but the protesters have threatened to cut off food supplies to the personnel and animals. Most disturbing was the announcement on September 5 on Ecuadorian National Television by Milton Aguas, the Mayor of Pto. Baquerizo Moreno (San Cristobal) who demanded that the President of Ecuador rescind his veto of Friday, September 1. He stated that if the law does not go through, the protesters would be forced to take tourists hostage and set fire to critical areas in the park ("burn flora and fauna"). We have received a copy of a letter dated September 4, 1995 to the President of Ecuador from Milton Aguas, Eduardo Veliz, and Eduardo Toscano, head of the "Civic Committee" of Baquerizo Moreno, which states unequivocally their willingness to take extreme action, which includes taking tourists hostage and burning areas of the National Park. I enclose the letter and a non- literal translation for your information. It is important to note that this sentiment and these actions are not embraced by the general population in Galapagos. A large group of Santa Cruz residents have scheduled two press conferences on September 5 to publicly repudiate these calls for terrori st tactics, incited in large part by the Galapagos congressman Eduardo Veliz whose version of the law was vetoed. This behavior is part of a pattern of lawlessness and contempt for national policy which has been steadily growing in the Galapagos over the past years and which was also in strong evidence in January when the Park and Station were taken over by protesting fishermen. The Park, the Station, and the ecosystems that these institutions are dedicated to protect have become pawns in a political game. It is only a matter of time before threats become action, and one of the world's most extraordinary natural treasures becomes a victim of greed and short-term exploitation. In January, 1995, the government established a precedent of refusing to negotiate with people involved in threatening terrorist activity, and we are hopeful that the government will do the same in this situation. Order must be restored and public facilit ies, Park and Station personnel, and facilities, which are now at risk, must be protected. The CDF believes that a special law for Galapagos is paramount, but that it must directly tackle the major issues of uncontrolled migration, introduction of exotic plants and animals, and resource exploitation, and appropriate social development in Galapagos. Equally, the process to develop such a special law must involve the key responsible citizen groups in Galapagos, as well as other management agencies and Galapagos stakeholders. Our understanding is that this is what President Duran Ballen intends t o do, and we fully support him in this endeavor. -------------------------------------------------- TRANSLATION OF LETTER FROM ECUADOR CONGRESSMAN EDUARDO VELIZ TO ECUADOR PRESIDENT DURAN BALLEN [The following translation is not literal, and is intended to highlight the main points. The CDF has a copy the Spanish original.] Strike Committee of the Galapagos Dear Mr. President, As a result of your decision, taken without consultation, to totally veto the Law of the Special Regimen of Galapagos, which was approved by the National Congress; for your erroneous decision to send to this Congress a new law which we consider unconstitu tional, and which represents an affront to national sovereignty; you have left us with no choice (you have obligated us), to take the most radical steps in the history of Galapagos since the last revolt of the penal colony in 1959. Galapagos, in its totality, does this with a clear conscience and with love for what belongs to us. We are defending our islands in the same manner that so many other village have done against the colonial pressures from large, oppressive nations. You yourself are responsible for the actions which will occur; we have taken over the Park Service institution in Isabela, the Park Service, Research Station and the road in Santa Cruz, and the airport in San Cristobal. We will take additional radical steps, the days following, in other areas of scientific and strategic significance. We are prepared to take extreme steps such as taking tourists hostage if necessary and burning any parts of the National Park. We are telling you this, because there are one hundred special forces troops (in San Cristobal) who are here now with the intention of removing us by force. If this happens, we will disperse and take action. However, we want to avoid doing this and we want to protect the international reputation of Galapagos and Ecuador. We ask that you undertake the following: 1. Sign into law the Executive Decree that we have included (a slightly modified version of Veliz's original law), which returns some of the hopes of the people of Galapagos, which promotes conservation, and which will improve the standard of living for its people. 2. Rescind the law which you substituted and which is currently before the Congress, which is unconstitutional, improper, and which threatens national sovereignty. 3. Hold elections for the Provincial governing body (prefectura) for 1996. 4. Order the Civil Aeronautics Board to require that airline companies working in Galapagos give equal treatment to tourists and residents in the transport of passengers and cargo, and to set aside 30% of their space for local (Galapagos) tourist operati ons. This will be regulated by the local municipal government. 5. Suspend the current naturalist guide course given by the Galapagos National Park Service (GNPS), and make this course available only to Galapagos permanent residents. 6. Restructure INGALA and Galapagos National Park Service and redefine their responsibilities. Their boards should be formed with local institutions, and comprised of Galapagos permanent residents. 7. Fire the INGALA General Manager, Gunda Schreyer and the GNPS Director, Arturo Izurieta. 8. Cancel the five nominations of INGALA Department Directors, and replace them with local professionals. 9. Close the Charles Darwin Research Station's illegal t-shirt kiosk, which exists counter to the its agreement with the Ecuadorian government, and which competes unfairly with local merchants. 10. Order the Ministry of Finances to give immediate financial aid for important projects in the Galapagos Province, such us education, sports, sanitation, and transportation infrastructure improvement. The budget requested is S/40.000'000.000 [ed. not e, this is the way the number was represented in the letter, if it is correct, the amount is equivalent to about $18,000,000.00]. 11. Order the Ministry of Finance to provide the necessary resources to bring salaries in line with the provisions of Special Law 151, [ed. note, which provides incremental pay to nationals working in Galapagos] pay the 75% increment owed to the municip al workers and teachers since 1992. **************** [AUGUST 30, 1995 LETTER FROM INTERNATIONAL TOUR OPERATIONS ASSOCIATION TO EDUARDO DIEZ] August 30, 1995 Eduardo Diez ASOGAL Fax: 593-2-436-625 Dear Eduardo and all ASOGAL Members, On behalf of our newly formed organization, I would like to say that we look forward to working with ASOGAL for the lasting protection of the Galapagos and our own mutual benefit. We have formed this organization to have a voice and express our opinions on issues of importance to the islands. It has come to our attention that a Special Law concerning the governing and management of the Galapagos Islands has recently been passed by the National Congress of Ecuador. This law addresses matters that we feel are extremely important, among them th e limitation of human settlement and activities. After examining this law, however, we strongly feel that is not in the best interests of the islands. In fact, we believe that there are provisions that threaten to politicize and subvert policies and administrative structures that are already in place. The law does not provide adequate protection to the islands' ecology, does not put adequate limits on human exploitation, and threatens to create an unworkable and dangerous political structure. We urge you to ask the President of the Republic to veto this Special law. We also urge you to work for a new and more complete law. The new law should address the real issues and reinstate the Permanent Commission for Galapagos as part of the Director ate of INGALA. We hope that you will join us in denouncing this law as political maneuvering. It has no part in a lasting solution to protect the Galapagos. Let's work to create a real law that will make these constant struggles over the islands a thing of the past! Thank you for your support and cooperation, David Blanton President International Galapagos Tour Operators Association PO Box 915 Ithaca, New York Phone: (607) 257-3699 Fax: (607) 257-3699 e-mail: voyint@aol.com ********* [UNDATED MEMORANDUM FROM THE CHARLES DARWIN FOUNDATION] Charles Darwin Foundation for the Galapagos Islands Comments on the Proposed Law for Special Management of the Provide of Galapagos Approved by the Honorable National Congress of the Republic of Ecuador. BACKGROUND In recent years, the Galapagos Islands have suffered serious deterioration in environmental quality. The unique island ecosystems are threatened by the high growth rate of the human population (8.8% per year) accompanied by a steady increase in the numbe r of tourists (14 % per year in the last 3 years), and fosters introductions of a variety of very aggressive exotic species. The islands have been degraded by poorly controlled extractive activities (sea cucumbers, shark fins, lobster), assault on native species (slaughter of some 90 giant tortoises in the last 4 years), and pollution in various areas of the archipelago. Chaotic management of the tourist industry results from a general lack of ability to control and patrol human activities, a deficient educational system that does not reflect the framework of the protected [areas], weakness of the local institutions, and successive management plans that are not implemented due to a lack of financial resources and political will. Dissatisfaction of the islanders has been growing as a reaction to unfulfilled campaign promises and the inability of management agencies to efficiently enforce the laws. Incidents of social unrest were uncommon until a few years ago. They now occur wit h increasing frequency when special interest groups use them to apply pressure on the government. Most notable were the takeover of the airport on San Cristobal, the occupation of the installations of the Galapagos National Park Service and the Charles Darwin Research Station, blocking of highways, an increase in delinquency, and the politicization of public institutions which impedes adequate enforcement of the laws (such as those which ban the fishery of sea cucumbers) and produced a lack of respect for authority. These incidents have stalled the process of improving management of the Galapagos National Park and the Galapagos Marine Resources Reserve. Faced with the problems that the region must confront, the populace of the Galapagos and the Ecuadorian government recommended that a Law be formulated to limit human population growth and to control economic development. At Presidential request, the min istry of Agriculture presided over various technical meetings, in order to propose a Special Law for the Islands. Participants included the Congressman for Galapagos along with representatives of various sectors of the Islands. The technical proposal ha d reached a vary advanced stage, when the Honorable Congressman of Galapagos formulated his own law and presented it to the National Congress. This version included only selected elements of the technical version prepared by the Minister's committees. The proposed law which was approved by the National Congress does not take into account either the management experience of the protected area, nor the insularity that imposes limitations on human actions. The new law replicated the current continental m odel in all its legal and administrative structure. It ignores the recommendations that appeared in previous technical and planning documents, such as the various Management Plans, which were formulated on the basis of successful management experience of the protected area, as well as scientific and technical information. CONCLUSIONS 1. The Law does not guarantee protection of the Galapagos. Its structure cannot withstand a serious legal and administrative analysis which is merited, given the special characteristics of Galapagos. There are many contradictions and gaps which will cre ate too many uncertainties and problems in its interpretation. 2. The Law as it is configured, does not address the problems that it raises in the Preamble, nor does it deal with the fundamental problems that effect the region. 3. The Law does not establish an agency that coordinates the actions of all the institutions that work in Galapagos, much like the Galapagos Permanent Commission. The powers given to INEFAN's Directorate related to the protected area, and the actions of this agency are being politicized. Nevertheless, in relation to the settled areas, there are no administrative codes which regulate the processes of urban growth, or regulate those decisions which effect the integrity of the National Park or Marine Area. In this regard, the law is aimed at controlling the Park. 4. The Law is badly structured, mixing law with regulation. For example, the quorum of INGALA is regulated (Art. 27) but not the corresponding INEFAN Directorate. A Commission is created to prepare the Annual List of Prices for the maritime transport of cargo (Art. 49). It states that the procedures for courses which DIOMER carries out should be executed via the Port Authorities in the Archipelago. 5. The Law creates new institutions which are clearly political, which further complicate the current administration of the Province, and contradict Ecuador's policies of State Modernization. Galapagos, with a permanent population of 15,000 would therefo re have four townships and one Provincial Prefecture, in addition to all the other public organizations extent in Galapagos. There would also be a Municipal Council (for the newly crated canton) of Floreana, with a population of 140 people. 6. The Directorates as established (of INEFAN (art. 8), of INGALA (Art. 26), of the Residency Commission (Art. 45) are clearly political. There would be no technical agencies involved in the environmental management of the Galapagos, or which adequately represent the interests of the general population. The representation does not recognize the existence of other important sectors of the community. 7. The Law does not resolve the problem of financing the operations of the Municipalities, the Subdirectorate of Fisheries, and the education system, etc. 8. The Law completely ignores the problems of introduced animals and the importance of implementing a concerted program of Inspection and Quarantine, which demonstrates again that protection of the Islands is not the fundamental objective. 9. A reliable system for limiting the human population growth is not established. The control on the human population growth will not be achieved via the decision of 4 people of a group of 6. Control on population growth will be achieved when mechanisms of incentives-disincentives for economic growth, investment and land ownership are implemented. 10. The law promotes non-traditional, extractive industries, such as sport fishing (which is envisaged in the Administrative Statues of the Park, but has no regulations) leaving open a wide window of opportunity to create new models of tourism operation which are not compatible with the management of the region. 11. The law does not promote sustainable use for the resources, since extractive, instead of non-extractive, activities are favored. There are no incentives to promote non-extractive activities or for the strengthening of agriculture and cattle ranching (which would improve land use in the agricultural zone). 12. Taking into account the obligation that passengers spend one night on the land, the Law promotes the development of a "Club Med" hotel, which local hoteliers cannot provide, and which are at odds with the kind of visit that characterizes a trip to the Galapagos. RECOMMENDATIONS 1. Recommend to the President of the Republic that he Totally Veto the Special Law, approved by the Congress. 2. That, in a reasonable time period, a proposal for an Alternative Law be presented, which seeks to harmonize the aspirations of the human population of Galapagos with the need to conserve and protect Galapagos ecosystems. 3. That it be proposed, in the proposal of the Alternative Law, that such a heavy political force not be given to the Galapagos National Park, because this carries the risk that its actions become politicized, thereby transforming the Park into a politica l reward. The Directorate of INGALA should be reformulated to consist of the members of the Permanent Commission for Galapagos. This agency would have the responsibility for coordinating all the actions that relate to the general functioning of the Province. /// END OF STATEMENT
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