ECUADOR

GALAPAGOS – Paradise Lost

June 2000, Duration: 9 mins 00 secs/Sot: 2 mins 20 secs

The Galapagos Islands are one of the last relatively
intact areas in the world, but their survival now
depends on the very same industry that is threatening
to destroy it - mass tourism. The islands are part of
Ecuador, a country reeling from a recent coup, and
caught in a deepening financial crisis. The
60-thousand tourists who now travel to Galapagos every
year are what keep the islands alive, and are the
magnet for thousands of Ecuadorians who have emigrated
to the islands in search of a better life. Now,
environmentalists fear the long term impact on the
island's delicate eco-system.

SHOWS: Various of Galapagos islands; Close up of
bird's face; Bird 'sunbathing' on rock; Close up of
iguana walking towards second iguana; Baby sea; Zoom
out from red chested bird; Crab walking; Close up of
baby booby bird; Seal family; Pelican flying and
diving into sea; Wide of Puerto Ayura; Street scene;
'The Last Paradise' shop; Hotel signs; Girl and little
boy walking past shop; Various of Bolivar washing
clothes; SOT in Spanish: Bolivar; Close up turtle
yawning; Turtle; Bolivar standing by turtle; Various
of turtles eating; Bolivar talking to group; Tourists;
Bolivar and tourists; Wide of Bolivar and tourists;
Pan to Darwin Research Centre Visitor Centre; Close up
of Charles Darwin bust; 'Origin of Species' map;
Tourist in visitor centre; Rosalyn Cameron talking to
students; SOT, Rosalyn Cameron, Darwin Research Centre
Spokesperson; Wide of rubbish truck; Men loading
truck; Close up of men working on truck; Close up of
rubbish; Truck driving away; Man cleaning street in
front of cyber cafe; Wide of bar; People laughing in
bar; Tourists in bar; Mid shot of tourists; Pelicans
waiting for food from fishermen preparing freshly
caught fish; Fish being loaded on to chopping board;
Fisherman cutting fish; Close up of hands of
fisherman; Fisherman throwing fish into container;
Pelicans waiting for food; Wide of boats in harbour;
Boats; Guide steering boat; Penguin seen from boat;
Iguana swimming and climbing rock; Tourists taking
photographs of iguana; SOT in Spanish, Raul, Tour
Guide; SOT, Tourist; SOT, Tourist; Tourists walking on
beach with iguana in foreground; Tourist group walking
towards camera; Bird standing on rock; Various of
dried lava patterns; Close up of cactus; Lizard
running of the top of a rock; Group getting on to
boat; Guide climbing aboard; Group talking and
laughing on boat; Zoom out to smaller boat moving
towards large boat; Seal suckling; Flamingo; Black
crabs; Booby on rock; Seals on beach. (DAVID
NOTMAN-WATT)

Script:

00:02 The Galapagos Islands. The land that inspired
Charles Darwin's 'Origin of Species'. The distinctive
wildlife helped form his theories on natural selection
and evolution.

00:13 The landscape is alive with fauna and flora not
found anywhere else on earth. It has been called an
'enchanted place' in the past, and it continues to be
just that.

A baby seal sleeps on the beach while the frigate
bird performs its mating ritual.

00:41 For the first-time visitor it would seem as
untouched as when Darwin first came here in 1835. But
appearances can be deceptive.

00:50 The blue-footed booby and this family of seals,
like thousands of other species, are under threat.

01:04 There are more than one hundred islands and
rocks that make up the archipelago.

01:10 This pelican fishes in the harbour at Puerto
Ayura, the largest town on one of only four inhabited
islands.

01:18 Tourists first came here in the sixties, and
what started as a once-in-a-lifetime trip enjoyed by
an elite few has now grown into a mass industry.

01:27 The town is alive with shops, bars, and cafes.
Walking down the main street you could be in a resort
anywhere in the world.

01:37 As tourism developed, more and more Ecuadorians,
like Bolivar, moved here from the mainland. Fleeing a
continuing economic crisis at home, they came in
search of the tourist dollar.

01:51 BOLIVAR, GALAPAGOS ISLAND RESIDENT, IN SPANISH
WITH ENGLISH TRANSLATION:
"When I came here there were just over one hundred
people living here. Now there are between fifteen and
twenty-five thousand people living here. And what is
illogical, stupid even, is that there are only two
politicians in charge of working for the interests of
the island and even they can't agree on what to do."

02:17 As the arguments continue on how best to control
this influx of mainlanders, the oldest of all
inhabitants on Galapagos live on undisturbed.

The Charles Darwin Research Foundation has been
breeding giant tortoises for the last 30 years.

02:35 Bolivar helps out at the centre, guiding
tourists through the grounds.

02:44 Thousands of tortoises have been reintroduced
into their particular habitats thanks to the efforts
of staff and volunteers who come to work here from all
over the world.

02:54 Without the efforts of this foundation, funded
solely on donations and grant programmes, these
tortoises and a number of other species might have
disappeared as the newcomers threatened their habitat,
which had survived undisturbed for thousands of years.


03:15 The centre has developed an educational site,
where visitors are encouraged to become members of the
Foundation.

03:22 Under the watchful gaze of Darwin himself,
tourists are reminded of the importance of
preservation.

03:33 Rosalyn Cameron has worked at the centre for
twelve years.


03:39 ROSALYN CAMERON, DARWIN RESEARCH CENTRE:
"Practically all, or the majority of visitors to the
islands are on floating tours. They are on a boat for
eight days visiting sights that have been permitted by
the park. They have an itinerary to go to. The
problems are not appearing there. Where they are
appearing is in the town because it is in the town
where the tourist service industry exists. So that
whole pyramid of people who is behind everyone of us
in the Galapagos has contributed to the need to import
a lot more goods to Galapagos. So there is a lot more
foodstuff, a lot more construction materials coming in
to Galapagos in the last five to ten years than in the
entire history of Galapagos."


04:18 More than sixty thousand tourists now flock here
every year. And demand is growing. Daily truck loads
dispose of waste materials, but space is in short
supply. As more waste is produced, where to put it
becomes a growing concern. But this is just one of a
number of problems facing both authorities and
environmentalists alike.

04:47 Every tourist who comes here must pay a 100 US
dollar entrance tax. The amounts to about six
million dollars a year.

This money is the life blood of the Galapagos National
Park - an area that covers 97 per cent of the islands.

05:03 But the tourist wallet also keeps local industry
alive. As well as bars and restaurants there are more
traditional industries that are thriving on the backs
of visitors.

05:15 These fishermen obey strict rules imposed by the
Galapagos Marine Reserve.

A 70 kilometre stretch has been extended around the
archipelago and fishing quotas are strictly enforced.
But restaurant demand is high, and monitoring the
waters around the islands is no easy task.

05:42 To really enjoy the Galapagos, tourists take to
the sea.

05:52 Walter is a licensed National Park guide. He
must follow strict rules laid down by Park
authorities.

His groups are not allowed to pick up anything, let
alone touch an animal, and visitor numbers are
controlled.

For Walter and members of his group, the future of
Galapagos is a concern.

06:18 WALTER - TOUR GUIDE, IN SPANISH WITH ENGLISH
TRANSLATION:
"I see the future of Galapagos as being very
uncertain. At the moment there are already too many
people living here. In the schools I have seen a
large quantity of young people, children. What future
is there for them? Here in Galapagos there are not
enough opportunities for them. I think that we have
to think very seriously about what alternatives we can
provide for these young people so that they can
continue living here in Galapagos otherwise the
situation will be reversed, and instead of people
moving here as they have done for many years now,
people will start leaving for the continent."

TOURIST:
"I think that they should have areas that are kept,
where people cannot go. But I think it is important
that people can see animals in their wild, in the wild
environment such as this."

TOURIST:
"I think it's own defence is it's remoteness too. It
is never going to be quite as accessible, quite as a
draw. It is still going to be natural and untouched.
It's not going to be hotels and casinos. It will
always be a bit of niche interest level."

07:33 Walter and his group will travel through these
islands for the next eight days.

07:40 Their trip will take them through rocky outlets
offering dramatic lava formations. The islands were
formed by volcanic activity four million years ago.
This is still relatively young in geological terms.
Activity continues here. The last five years have seen
two major eruptions.

08:07 As the group prepares to depart for their next
island, the animals will once again be left alone.

But it won't be long before another boat arrives and
unloads its cargo of well intentioned eco-tourists.

08:24 This fragile habitat is still evolving.
Declared a World Heritage Site in 1978, there is a
consistent international framework ensuring the
islands are preserved for future generations. But as
political and social instability continue in Ecuador,
the tourist dollar will continue to attract
mainlanders.

And unless international efforts are stepped up, the
onslaught of tourism and the problems it brings could
mark the beginning of the end of the Galapagos.

09:00 ENDS

Cameraman: David Notman-Watt
Producer: David Notman-Watt