Read the article below to answer these questions.

1. Why were the fishermen angry?

2. What happened to the sea cucumbers?

3. Why are tour operators concerned about protecting the flora and fauna of the Galapagos?

4. How do insects arrive on the island?

5. What harm are foreign plants and animals doing to the native species?

6. How are the authorities trying to deal with this problem?

7. What concerns do some people have about tourism to the Galapagos?

8. What would they like to happen to the park entry fees?

 

 

Battle to Save the Galapagos

Enchanted islands or infested islands?" reads the sign at the Charles Darwin Research Station in the Galapagos archipelago where the land and marine habitat has been experiencing a horrific series of ecological reversals over the past eighteen months.

Early last year, the islands were ravaged by bush fires. Then many of the giant tortoises were killed, allegedly by fishermen incensed at the imposition of restrictive fish quotas. Tourist boats also spotted illegal onshore camps where sea cucumbers, a vital cog in the marine ecosystem, were being stripped from the sea bed, boiled and dried, ready to be sold by middlemen to the lucrative Far Eastern market.

The subsequent ban on the sea cucumber trade led the fishermen to blockade the offices of the Research Station, which is viewed by locals as the focus for a misguided conservationist stance that is denying them a livelihood. Marines were even dispatched from Ecuador to keep the peace.

This trouble in paradise, however, has finally prompted concerted action on behalf of Ecuador's oldest and foremost national park and not only by ecologists and zoologists. Now the authorities and tour operators, whose interest in the Galapagos is calculated at more than £55 million annually from the booming ecotourism market, are also taking steps to protect the islands. The Ecuadorian authorities have not only banned export fishing entirely, but have also prohibited the issuing of any more tourism licenses and promised a fleet of patrol boats and aircraft to enforce the new regulations.

Since then, other problems have come to the fore. Galapagos' natural integrity is rapidly being eroded as human pressure increases, both from Ecuadorian settlers and overseas tourists. The resident population of about 15,000 is increasing at 10 per cent annually, and tourism is flourishing. But perhaps most devastating of all is the effect of introduced animals and plant life on the indigenous species.

Galapagos' extraordinary array of wildlife, particularly iguanas and seabirds, has no defenses against predators such as cats and dogs. Nor have land animals such as the giant tortoises any experience of competing for food with such animals as pigs, donkeys, horses and cattle. Plants such as the quinine tree, which was introduced in the 1950s to counter the anticipated arrival of the malarial mosquito, have now choked great tracts of the islands.

Ironically, the malarial mosquito has not established itself, but other unintentionally introduced species pose a serious threat. Insects can arrive on the daily flights or among crates of vegetables landed by the cargo ships. Even snakes that are liable to ravage the egg stock among the islands' unique bird colonies have been found among imported timber. To counteract such problems the islands are looking at ways of imposing quarantine on the area as well as looking at common measures to reduce the likelihood of important ills. Visitors are already issued with rubbish collection bags and are now to be encouraged to check the soles of their shoes for seeds carried from the mainland.

Brian Williams, director of Journey Latin America which sends about 800 clients to the Galapagos every year, thinks that tour operators' commitment to conservation is already impressive. He insisted that the brand of tourism practiced is generally low impact, closely controlled and highly educational. However, others worry that tourist numbers are growing unacceptably fast. The agreed annual limit is 40,000, but last more than 55,000 people visited the islands. Some local tour operators, it is alleged, are side-stepping the new tourism license restrictions by squeezing more berths into their boats. They also regret that much of the park entry fee of about £52 per overseas visitor is not reinvested in the park. This means that tourism does not bring the unquestioned benefits to the park that it should.

 

5. Find the words in the article above meaning:

a) a group of islands;

b) people concerned with the environment and animals (3 words);

c) animals that hunt other animals;

d) the indigenous plant and animal life;

e) a prohibition;

f) destroying completely;

g) a means of earning money.

UNIT 4. TRANSPORT

 

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