Galapagos Islands
by David Fleetham

The islands are rich in a history that includes fur seal hunters and scientists, convicts and farmers, whalers (including Herman Melville) and soldiers, fishermen and homesteaders. Discovered unintentionally after being adrift at sea, this island chain was first named "Los Encantadas" (The Enchanted Isles) by the Bishop of Panama in 1535. Nearly three centuries later, a 26 year old from England would set foot on only four of the fifteen main islands in five weeks, yet later change the way man looked at his world forever more. Charles Darwin observed an abundance of endemic animals (found nowhere else in the world), and more importantly, a variation in the same species from one island to the next. Each location contained unique biological idiosyncrasies and the resident populations had their own adaptations to best exploit their environment. The finch communities in particular were, and are, a leading example of evolution.

Twenty-four years after collecting specimens from these islands, Darwin published his controversial treatise, "The Origin of Species". This introduced the Theory of Natural Selection and the evolution of one species from another through reproduction and the survival of the fittest, or at least the most adaptive. Today the Galapagos Islands still hold what Darwin witnessed, and reveal the same secrets to tens of thousands of visitor from around the Globe. Numerous examples of evolution have scientists still studying the process in this laboratory of nature.

In 1959 after more than four centuries of detrimental interaction with these islands (in the 1600s vessels stopped at the islands to fill their holds with live giant tortoises and in the 1800s the fur seal population was nearly driven to extinction) several countries, including Equador, formed the Charles Darwin Research Station. This is a non-profit, international, non governmental, scientific organization which deals as best it can with the tremendous environmental concerns now besieging the islands. In that same year the Ecuadorian government declared 97% of the islands a National Park. The remainder of the land (on four of the fifteen main islands) was set aside for the island's few residents. At the time, this small population was occupied mostly with subsistence living, and provided some primitive accommodations for the few tourists and scientists that visited their home.

Times have changed. Airport upgrades have increased the tourist trade to over 50,000 visitors annually. This, along with condi tions of poverty on the mainland, has caused an influx of immigrants attempting to cash in on this new industry. The population of a thousand or so residents that were in the islands when the Charles Darwin Research Station was formed, has now jumped to nearly 20,000. This likely exceeds the carrying capacity of the allotted residential land and has already threatened several of the park's protective efforts.

The Galapagos Islands were declared a World Heritage Site in 1978. Over the past few years several ecological disasters had the islands on the brink of being included on the "Endangered Sites" List. In March of 1998, despite strong opposition, Ecuadorian President Dr. Fabian Alarcon signed in The Galapagos Conservation Law. This is a huge step in what has been an ongoing effort to protect this fragile environment. The new law expands the protected waters from 15 miles to 40 miles banning industrial scale fishing within this zone. The law limits permanent residence status to only those Ecuadorians who can show they have been on the islands for a minimum of five years. It also approves the first inspection and quarantine system to battle "invader" species such as rats and goats. In addition 50% of the tourist dollars generated by the islands must now be used to insure they will be available for future generations.

Of all the species' adaptations recorded, one of the most incredible is the loss of fear in Galapagos bestial inhabitants. The absence of predators over time has produced an unconcerned attitude towards anyone, and anything in most of the islands. My first steps on land involved tiptoeing through a maze of Galapagos sea lions that were asleep and enjoying themselves in the sun. A rather large female lifted her head momentarily to eye our group, and then returned to her midday slumbers, while two juveniles trundled out of the water to examine our skiff. With my camera on tripod to capture the scene, I was startled when a mockingbird came to rest on my lens. We stared at each other for sometime before our guide informed me that "they do that all the time, you haven't seen anything yet". And indeed I hadn't.

A live-aboard diving excursion to Galapagos is the most exhausting two weeks I have ever spent. There was certainly no time to catch up on the latest best seller. There was barely enough time to catch my breath and change film. Every surface interval was spent on land exploring these amazing islands. Bird colony after bird colony, marine iguanas, the surfing sea lion beach, lava lizards, penguins, an erupting volcano complete with lava flowing into the ocean. When night came I dropped wearily into my berthwell, after the night dive.

Underwater Galapagos is like a Spielberg action movie. After rolling off the skiff, as the bubbles cleared from my mask, a hammerhead quickly departed to my left and five eagle rays swooped by beneath me. I kicked down through three separate species of schooling fish just to reach the sloping boulder bottom. I began to worry about the muscles in my neck and the cold water as I snapped my head from side to side. Three jacks, another hammerhead, a huge male green sea turtle, another shark I couldn't even identify, sea lionsit went on and on. If tomorrow I was told I could only have one more dive trip, I would choose to return to these islands.

The Charles Darwin Foundation is currently seeking funds to increase the efforts being made to maintain the islands in their present splendour. For more information on how you could help please contact The Charles Darwin Foundation, Inc. 100 N. Washington St. #311, Falls Church, VA 22046 Ph: 703-538-6833 Fax: 703-538-6835