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Tourism and Tension in Galapagos
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15626 |
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Section : |
CULTURE
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| Issue
Date : |
2 / 1989 |
4,568 Words |
| Author
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Jerry Emory
Writer Jerry Emory lived in Brazil in 1983, conducting
research for his master's degree in geography. In 1989, he
traveled through the Brazilian Amazon, spending time on
Marajo. He is presently at work on a project on the Galapagos
Islands and a book for children on the natural history of the
night. |
A typical paragraph from a tourist brochure on the Galapagos Islands might invite the traveler to snorkel with friendly sea lions, walk among blue-footed boobies, marvel at marine iguanas, and get acquainted with six-hundred-pound tortoises. Tourists are tempted to "experience the enchanted Isles, Darwin's showcase of evolution," and so forth. Beyond description of the amazing animals and other-worldly landscapes, little mention if any would be made of another striking feature of the mysterious islands--the Galapaguenos, the people of Galapagos.
This omission is not surprising; after all, the tourist industry sells wildlife adventure, not cultural exchange. During the year I worked at the Charles Darwin Research Station, the vast majority of visitors expressed surprise at finding people and towns on the islands.
Isolated six hundred miles off the western coast of Ecuador, the Galapagos Islands are a province of that South American nation. Composed of nineteen islands and countless islets--all volcanic in origin--96 percent of the archipelago constitutes the internationally famous Galapagos National Park. The remainder is zoned for towns, agriculture, mining, and military bases. In addition to raucous bird colonies, giant docile tortoises, and other wildlife and scenery bordering on the outrageous, roughly ten thousand people call Galapagos home.
The way of life the Galapaguenos have known for generations began to change with the arrival of small-scale tourism in 1970. If the staggering increase in tourism over the last few years is an indication of what the future holds for these islands, then the Galapaguenos' previously quiet
... (1997 of 27457 Characters)
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