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The Galápagos
The People
Though discovered in 1535, the islands were vacant of humans until the 1800s due to their inhospitable terrain. In the 1920s European and North American settlers began to arrive, as well as Ecuadorians who came to fish and farm. Beginning in the 1960s, tourism and new fisheries brought more settlers – jumping from roughly 3,000 in 1980 to about 20,000 by the end of the century. Four of the islands are inhabited, with most people living on two of the islands, Santa Cruz and San Cristóbal.
Livelihoods on the islands
Whether through fishing or the tourism industry, it is nature in the Galápagos that provides livelihoods. The fishing community makes up almost 3 percent of the population,and is organized into cooperatives that, with the help of WWF and the Galápagos National Park Service, collaborate to maintain sustainable fishing practices. The park is also a large employer of residents who work as guards on boats that patrol against illegal fishing, or do the tough work of helping to eradicate introduced species. The youthful population, with an average age of 13-14, suffers from limited healthcare and a poor education system that makes it a struggle for even the best students to qualify for universities on the mainland.
Visiting the islands
Tourism, while a challenge to the islands’ ecosystem, is the source of most of the employment opportunities for residents. A wide range of jobs includes certified guides trained by the park service, boat operators, souvenir vendors and town employees. One islander is employed for every four tourists who visit.
Pescado Azul
© WWF
The Pescado Azul Women’s Cooperative
“We are doing more than just making a product to sell. We’re also helping women work outside the home, providing opportunities to make money and become involved in the community.” –Emma Flor, President of the Pescado Azul Women’s Cooperative
The vitality of the Galápagos depends on creating environmentally friendly economic opportunities for its residents. The Pescado Azul Women’s Cooperative, established in 2001, is made up of fishermen’s wives in the remote village of Puerto Villamil. These women hand-process legally caught yellowfin and big-eye tuna into exceptional smoked tuna products that are considered a delicacy on mainland Ecuador. In the past, fishermen have struggled to send their catches back to the mainland where the higher prices necessitated by costly logistics made Galápagos fish challenging to sell. With support from WWF, Pescado Azul bolsters the local economy and helps protect the environment.
Los Pescadores
© WWF
Los Pescadores
In the Galápagos, artisanal fishermen – los pescadores - are important partners in creating sustainable fisheries throughout the islands. Recently, these fishermen have been able to share their craft with the many tourists visiting the islands. With support from WWF, fishermen affiliated with the Santa Cruz Fishing Cooperative or Copropag are modifying their fishing boats so that they can bring adventurous tourists out on the water to experience firsthand how fishing should be done.
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