The former mayor of Quito, Roque Sevilla and the former Minister of the Environment, Yolanda Kakabadse will participate in the project to protect the Galapagos.
President Lenín Moreno announced this Monday, July 27, 2020, the formation of a public – private team to design a “protection strategy” for the Galapagos Islands and “respect for its maritime resources” in Ecuador. The Government’s decision is announced after the alert in Galapagos in response to the presence of a fishing fleet along the Insular Exclusive Economic Zone (ZEEI).
Foreign Minister Luis Gallegos Chiriboga with the participation of the former mayor of Quito Roque Sevilla and the former Minister of Environment Yolanda Kakabadse will lead the team for the protection of the Insular region. The Executive said that they will also contribute more specialists to the project
“We are going to work in a regional position to defend and protect the Exclusive Economic Zone around the Galapagos Marine Reserve, one of the richest fishing areas and a seedbed of life for the entire planet,” the President wrote on the web social Twitter. The Ecuadorian Navy detected the presence of the international fishing fleet on July 16, 2020.
Yolanda Kakabadse (Quito, 1948) has a long career in environmental conservation. A member of the Ford Foundation, the International Commission of the Earth Charter and the Inter-American Dialogue group of experts based in Washington D.C., she was president of WWF (World Wide Fund for Nature, 2010-2017); President of IUCN (International Union for Conservation of Nature, 1996-2004); co-director of the UN Millennium project (2005); founder and president of FFLA (Fundación Futuro Latinoamericano, 1993-2006); founder and executive director of Fundación Natura (1979-1990); former Minister of Environment in Ecuador (1998-2000).
Roque Sevilla (Quito, 1947) is an environmentalist, businessman and politician, with studies in Public Administration at the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University (USA). He was mayor of Quito (1998-2000). The current President of Grupo Futuro was a member of the Board of Directors of WWF (World Wide Fund for Nature, 1997); Director of the United States’ World Wide Fund for Nature (1991); founder of Fundación Natura (1976); Constituent Assemblyman (1998), Quito Councilor (1992-1996).
Lenín Moreno, on Friday, July 25, ratified the defense of the country’s maritime sovereignty and the work of the Armed Forces in the exclusive economic zone around the Galapagos Marine Reserve. “We will not allow our territorial and maritime sovereignty to be violated,” he said.
The President explained that in coordination with the Foreign Ministry, it was noted to the Chinese Government, in a cordial but firm manner that Ecuador will make its maritime rights prevail over its area, without distinction of flag. Defense Minister Oswaldo Jarrín referred on the 23rd July to the fleet of Chinese ships that is close to the Insular Exclusive Economic Zone (ZEEI).
The official assured that a month ago they detected the presence of the ships and alerted the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, as the ships sail international waters.
“If they know the borders that are established at sea, they will not enter. And if they enter, what happened in 2017 will happen: they will be seized,” warned Jarrín.
This content has been originally published by Diario EL COMERCIO at the following address: https://www.elcomercio.com/actualidad/moreno-equipo-estrategia-defensa-galapagos.html
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