Galapagos may participate in the $680 million dollars (£500 million) Blue Planet fund
Alejandro Pérez / [email protected]
Wednesday, January 27, 2021 – 17:47
In three months, the Blue Planet Fund will be opened for conservation projects and the fight against climate change; initiatives from all over the world will be able to participate and Galapagos is a good candidate to receive part of this financing.
This was announced by the British Minister of the Pacific and the Environment of the United Kingdom, Zac Goldsmith , who held meetings with the Ecuadorian Foreign Minister, Luis Gallegos, several ministers, including Norman Wray , president of the Galapagos Government Council, NGO representatives, fishermen and students.
“It is a competitive fund, not only for projects at the national level, but also between countries. We know that there is a need to expand the protected area of the Islands , and even an initiative to have a transit corridor for marine species between the Galapagos and Costa Rica, for example,” said Goldsmith, in a virtual meeting with the press.
Goldsmith also referred to the concern generated by the Chinese fishing fleet that has approached the protected area on several occasions in recent years.
The United Kingdom is the largest contributor to this fund; its Embassy in Ecuador will focus on connecting with government agencies, organizations and other stakeholders who can present substantive projects as the competition for financing will be strong, explained Ambassador Chris Campbell from the archipelago.
At the moment, they are working on a “Drones Project” to train and establish sustainable monitoring of plastic pollution and wildlife populations in the archipelago through the the use of these devices.
It is not the first time that Ecuador would participate in these funds. At the moment, Ecuador has $140 million dollars focused on reducing emissions and deforestation from the Green Climate Fund, divided among two national and six multinational projects, said Goldsmith.
In November, the United Nations Conference on Climate Change (COP26) will be held in the United Kingdom.
Read the coverage via Vistazo at https://www.vistazo.com/seccion/actualidad-nacional/galapagos-podra-participar-en-fondo-blue-planet-de-680-millones-de
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