CONSERVATION CHALLENGES

- Conservation Challenges

QUESTIONS

1 . For me , the rules are fair to the tourists . They are the visitors and thus , whatever rules the Galapagos tourism agency laid down , they must follow it . Not taking any food to the uninhabited islands and not transporting any live material to the islands or from island to island are logical rules . The plants and animals in Galapagos Island are so much different from the usual , and hence , they are more susceptible to dangers brought about by alien ' or foreign living materials that they might leave behind

p The set rules are good enough but the important thing is to IMPLEMENT it fully . Rules are no good if they aren 't rigorously applied . Also there must be checks at the entry of each island to insure the tourists are not bringing anything that they might leave behind . It would also be good to give huge fines to tourists who violate the rules . That way other tourists will be deterred in breaking them . Hopefully these rules and its proper implementation will go a long way in protecting the islands

2 . Tourism should be limited . The fact that there are tourists on the island means there is a much higher possibility of disturbing the native flora and fauna . I 'm sure the tourists are well-meaning in their visits (i .e . they want to be educated about conservation , they want to see first hand the wonders of Old World , etc ) but one way or another , they will harm the delicate environment there

Personally , I don 't want anyone to visit the Galapagos Islands . Sure many people would say it 's their right to visit something that belongs to the entire human race , but if they really care about the islands they must first educate their selves about it . And so I propose that before anyone visits the islands , they must first undergo a seminar about it . Hopefully , they 'll see what 's good and bad for the islands

3 . We can 't blame fishermen who make a living catching and selling popular but endangered sea cucumbers because this is their livelihood We just cannot say to them , STOP catching sea cucumbers ' as they need a source of income to feed their own families . Before we ask them to stop , the Galapagos powers that be should have an alternative source of livelihood for them

These are my proposed alternative sources of income for them : one , they can act as marine tour guides . Since they know the waters very much they can adeptly point out to tourists that this animal is this , and that one is that , etc , etc . Two , the government (with the help of scientists ) should build a sea cucumber nursery where the fisherman can propagate and eventually harvest the much-desired animals

4 . Other countries are also protecting their fragile ecosystems , and to help them with that , there is the WWF . Also , the UN itself has a list of Protected Areas . In the United States , Yellowstone National Park is one...