Galapagos Marine Biodiversity Fund
In 2006, Ecoventura, together with the World Wildlife Fund (WWF), established the Galapagos Marine Biodiversity Fund (GMBF) with the objective to strengthen the local communities’ ability to manage natural resources through environmental education and marine conservation. In 2007, Aerogal Airlines joined their initiative to support projects in Galapagos carried about by the Galapagos National Park Services, WildAid and the Galapagos Academic Institute for the Arts & Sciences (GAIAS) located at the University of San Francisco de Quito at the Galapagos campus. The goals of the fund are:
- To prepare students living in Galapagos to be future leaders in conservation through scholarships and providing schools with funds for computer labs.
- To enable the Galapagos National Park to better manage and protect the marine reserve against illegal fishing activities.
- To provide alternatives for families of fishermen through development of micro-enterprises and cooperate with municipalities in recycling of oils and lubricants and environmental studies.
Ecoventura alone has pledged to raise $80,000.00 per year for the first three years. Passengers are also welcome to make donations to the fund. During the cruise, a local representative from WWF meets with the passengers and give a brief talk. Since the fund was created, it has raised $171,000.00, of which $160,950.00 directly benefits various projects.
SCHOLARSHIPS for local students
In May 2007, GMBF offered a scholarship program to local students to study for two years at the Galapagos Academic Institute for the Arts & Sciences (GAIAS), part of the University of San Francisco de Quito’s Galapagos campus located on the Island of San Cristobal. The objective is to form community leaders to help manage conservation and be prepared to take a stand against illegal fishing that threatens the Islands ecosystem.
In total twenty-two students have been carefully selected, many of them from children of fishermen, from San Cristobal, Santa Cruz and Isabela Island. Ten students chose Environmental Management, seven chose Tourism administration and 5 chose to study Business Administration. The University contributed 50% of the tuition and therefore GMBF met its goal to give 11 full scholarships over a course of two years.
During the first year, we have noted the advancement of each student through permanent communication with an academic supervisor. This allows us to monitor the achievement of the students and their needs to adapt to a new academic system. For many of the students, it has been a rigorous journey to adapt to a new system and live away from their families. In spite of the obsticles, the students have maintained an average GPA of 3.44 and continue to be motivated to learn from their professors.
Protection of the marine reserve
The marine reserve surrounding these two remote Islands of Wolf and Darwin supports some of the planet’s most unique biodiversity and is one of the world’s premier diving areas. However, it is also been identified as the most threatened due to continued presence of industrial fishing boats. To date, park statistics demonstrate the highest number of fishing violations have occurred in this area. Hammerhead and other shark species around the world are being harvested primarily for their fins and the Galapagos Marine Reserve remains one of the last regions where these creatures can be seen gathered by the hundreds. It is vital to establish a local and permanent surveillance and patrolling platform that will deter illegal fishing vessels from entering these waters.
Because the park lacks inadequate funding, trained personnel and equipment, it is challenged to prevent illegal fishing by industrial scale boats. In response, the GMBF supports the maintenance of park patrol boats while also helping to make current small-scale fishing practices more efficient. Funds from GMBF have gone to refit, maintain and deploy the TIBURON MARTILLO (Hammerhead shark) that serves as a permanent floating base near the Islands of Wolf and Darwin and staffed by park rangers. The area is patrolled for illegal shark finning and long-line fishing activity within the marine reserve. Scuba divers on the Sky Dancer visit Wolf and Darwin Islands, known as one of the best dive sites in the world for large pelagic.
Funds were also allocated to refurbish and maintain the speed boat SEA RANGER 12 that patrols the Bolivar channel between the western Islands of Fernandina and Isabela. These Islands are visited by passengers on the Ecoventura yachts Eric, Flamingo & Letty.
In addition, GMBF supported three machinists for six months so they could continue to patrol the marine reserve with patrol boats. GMBF also covered the cost for satelight service for four months that monitors boats within the marine reserve through radio transmitters installed on six of the National Park patrol boats.
MICRO-ENTERPRIZE for fishermen and their families to manage
Development of a micro-enterprise to benefit the families of local fishermen by providing an alternate source of income and also set an example to create other tourism related businesses and reduce the need to fish in the marine reserve.
Funds from GMBF have also been allocated to benefit families of local fishermen by development of a microenterprise for the fisherman’s wives to manage. This will provide an alternate means of income and also set an example to create other tourism related businesses and reduce the need to fish.
This particular project involves converting a fishing boat into a restaurant and boutique. The boat was purchased after it was confiscated for illegal fishing and sat idle for three years. Much of the wood had to be replaced and the deck was raised to create enough room in the hull to house a boutique. The hull, that formerly was used to store fish, was completely gutted and refurbished. A 30-year lease was secured from the municipality and is located along the boardwalk along Wreck Bay on San Cristobal Island providing a service for tourists as well as benefiting community development. For the new business to thrive, the women will be trained to manage and market their business. Technical assistance will be provided to improve the quality of artisan products to be sold. The project is scheduled for completion in May 2008 and the delay is attributed to having to coordinate with the local municipality as part of a larger waterfront renovation project which requires funding from the central government in Ecuador.
GMBF also cooperates with the local municipalities with environmental studies that evaluates the air, soil, water and noise levels. It also cooperates with a recycling program for lubricants based in Santa Cruz. which to date has recycled 4097 gallons.
Ecoventura has pledged to sponsor the salaries for Physical Therapists who work at a local school on San Cristobal Island for children with Down’s Syndrome. The school also serves the elderly population of the Island through the physical therapy department.
Your client’s efforts, along with those of many other Galapagos supporters, will help ensure that this global treasure remains prosperous and thriving with life.
Recommendations:
Join WWF (www.wwf.org), or better yet make a donation to the Galapagos Marine Biodiversity Fund that specifically targets environmental education and marine conservation by strengthening the local communities’ ability to manage natural resources. Ecoventura has pledged to raise $80,000.00 per year for the first three years.
Join NativeEnergy www.nativeenergy.com and offset your daily carbon emissions.
Join the Galapagos Conservency www.galapagos.org and help protect the Islands for future generations of adventure travelers.
Involve the kids! You can bring school supplies with you to Galapagos to donate to a local school through a local non-profit organization called Galapagos ICE. Contact Emily Pozo before arrival at www.galapagosice.org.