Excerpt from the technical document that supports the expansion of the Galapagos Marine Reserve
[You can also download the full PDF proposal via El Universo here]
Yesterday, Wednesday, January 20, the spokesmen of the Más Galapagos collective officially delivered the technical and scientific proposal that supports the creation of a new marine area in Galapagos. Courtesy
Collective delivered proposal to create a new protected area in Galapagos to the Government
January 21, 2021 – 12:15 p.m.
Yesterday, Wednesday, January 20, the spokesmen of the Más Galapagos collective officially delivered the technical and scientific proposal to the Presidency of the Republic; this proposal supports the creation of a new marine protected area around the current Galapagos Marine Reserve.
In addition, more than 32,000 signatures of national and foreign citizens who support this campaign were attached; the campaign seeks to protect marine biodiversity and guarantee food security, the organization said in a statement.
Eliecer Cruz, who formalized this delivery, mentioned that the discussion is now awaited in the Government so that it can make the best decisions. “If necessary, ask us for further clarification, this is a proposal for discussion among all the sectors involved and that can be translated into a reality. That this Government leave the protection of the Galapagos Sea as a legacy before the end of its term, as promised in December 2019 at the Climate Change Summit in Madrid. “
The studies delivered were led by the San Francisco de Quito University after 11 months of work. The comprehensive proposal proposed by Más Galapagos is to create a new protected area zone of 445,953 square kilometers around the islands, which will contribute to the conservation of pelagic environments outside the marine reserve; the proposal considers the threats that have occurred in recent years, such as illegal weight, overfishing and the effects of climate change, according to Alex Hearn, a marine biologist and leader of the research.
The abstract of the scientific document can be downloaded at http://www.masgalapagos.info. The group indicated that it will continue to be “attentive to the discussion and analysis by all the public and private sectors involved.”
Ecuador’s industrial fishing sector has shown its “concern” about this initiative, which it has described as without “technical support” and affirms that it has not been debated in the dialogue tables. In fact, the National Chamber of Fisheries sent a letter to President Lenín Moreno indicating its dissatisfaction.
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