The Galapagos Islands are home to a permanent human population of ~25,000 Ecuadorians, and receives upwards of 220,000 visitors per year. This human presence necessitates constant replenishment of food, gasoline, drinking water, construction equipment, and many other supplies to maintain a modern existence. This need is fulfilled by 5 cargo tankers that circulate between the islands and the Ecuadorian mainland, bringing supplies every few weeks. In the past year, 4 of the 5 cargo ships have either sank, ran aground, or been otherwise severely damaged. The most recent, the freighter "Floreana", ran aground on the shallow shoals of Naufragio Bay off of San Cristobal Island. The threat of marine contamination from fuel, oil, and cargo has prompted the Ecuadorian government to declare a state of emergency:
http://www.bbc.com/news/world-latin-america-31142280
http://www.wsj.com/articles/ecuador-grapples-with-freighter-aground-in-galapagos-islands-1423158980
Our colleagues and friends in the islands are also suffering a major shortage of necessary food and supplies as too few cargo ships remain to sustain the elevated demand in the islands. It reminds us how tenuous and potentially unsustainable the level of human presence and consumption is in the Galapagos.
http://www.bbc.com/news/world-latin-america-31142280
http://www.wsj.com/articles/ecuador-grapples-with-freighter-aground-in-galapagos-islands-1423158980
Our colleagues and friends in the islands are also suffering a major shortage of necessary food and supplies as too few cargo ships remain to sustain the elevated demand in the islands. It reminds us how tenuous and potentially unsustainable the level of human presence and consumption is in the Galapagos.
