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Pollution as an Emerging Threat for the Conservation of the Galapagos Marine Reserve: Environmental Impacts and Management Perspectives

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The Galapagos Marine Reserve

Abstract

The Galapagos Marine Reserve (GMR) is one of the most fragile marine ecoregions to be preserved to benefit global biodiversity. Ongoing continentalization and increasing human population diminish the degree of isolation of the Galapagos, jeopardizing its socio-ecological system. While tourism and fisheries activities stand by the islands’ economy, several anthropogenic stressors threaten the marine ecosystem. An environmental assessment and literature survey were conducted to characterize the coastal marine pollution impacts caused by human-made activities. The assessment revealed that municipal waste incineration of organic waste and plastics in open dump areas is a potential source of unintentionally produced persistent organic pollutants such as dioxins and furans. Plastic is one of the most abundant solid wastes at sea and shorelines, representing 25 % of the total marine debris. More than 50 % of current-use pesticides applied in the agriculture zone of the inhabited islands were identified as endocrine-disrupting chemicals, underlying potential health effects in the endemic fauna. Oil spills and traces of hydrocarbons threaten the long-term survival of marine species due to the current reliance on fuel transported from Ecuador’s mainland coast. Concerted local and global management strategies are strongly needed into the decision-making processes to protect the GMR from chemical and biological assaults.

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Acknowledgments

The authors thank Dr. F. Gobas and Dr. A. Harestad for their valuable insights and suggestions to improve this contribution. The leading author is in debt with S. Salazar, M. Cruz, G. Jiménez-Uzcategui, P. Martinez, G. Merlen, J. Geraci, P. Howorth, and the volunteers from Santa Barbara Marine Mammal Centre (California) for their field logistic support and expertise during the 2008 expedition as part of the Project Health Status, Genetic and Rescue Techniques of Galapagos Pinnipeds of the Charles Darwin Foundation and the Galapagos National Park Service (Servicio Parque Nacional Galapagos). Finally, we thank the editors, J. Denkinger and L. Vinueza, for the formal invitation and advice to contribute to this book.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Resource and Environmental Management, Faculty of Environment, Simon Fraser University, 8888 University Drive, Burnaby, BC, Canada, V5A 1S6

    Juan José Alava

  2. Fundacion Ecuatoriana para el Estudio de Mamíferos Marinos (FEMM), Guayaquil, Ecuador

    Juan José Alava

  3. Departamento de Ecología y Recursos Naturales, Centro Universitario de la Costa Sur, Universidad de Guadalajara, Autlán, Jalisco, México

    Carlos Palomera

  4. Department of Biological Sciences, Faculty of Sciences and Environmental Science Program, Faculty of Environment, Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, BC, Canada

    Leah Bendell

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  1. Juan José Alava
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  2. Carlos Palomera
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  3. Leah Bendell
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  4. Peter S Ross
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Correspondence to Juan José Alava .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Universidad San Francisco de Quito, Quito, Ecuador

    Judith Denkinger

  2. Universidad San Francisco de Quito, Quito, Ecuador

    Luis Vinueza

Appendix

Appendix

Table 12.7 Human population inhabiting three major islands in the Galapagos and total population
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Table 12.8 Current-use pesticides (CUPs) applied to agricultural lands in the Galapagos
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Alava, J.J., Palomera, C., Bendell, L., Ross, P.S. (2014). Pollution as an Emerging Threat for the Conservation of the Galapagos Marine Reserve: Environmental Impacts and Management Perspectives. In: Denkinger, J., Vinueza, L. (eds) The Galapagos Marine Reserve. Social and Ecological Interactions in the Galapagos Islands. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-02769-2_12

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