Fish, Finches and Tour Boats Conservation and Plunder in Latin America. A Case Study of the Galapagos Islands

Date of Award

2007

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Bachelors

Department

Natural Sciences

First Advisor

Lowman, Margaret

Keywords

Galapagos Islands, Invasive Species, Marine Protected Area

Area of Concentration

Environmental Studies

Abstract

The history of the Galapagos Islands has been riddled with exploitation, first by pirates and whalers, and currently by ecotourists. Though laws protecting the islands have been in existence virtually since permanent colonies have been established, the lack of enforcement and problems in monitoring have lead to instances of rampant violations. The lack of stakeholder involvement in policy decisions has resulted in violence on multiple occasions. And far too often regulations and policy have followed the problem, instead of preventing it. This thesis follows the natural history of the Galapagos Islands, their formation and unique flora and fauna, examines current problems facing conservation, such as illegal fishing, invasive species and, ecotourism, and evaluates the current management plans and conservation strategies for both the Galapagos National Park and the Galapagos Marine Reserve.

Rights

This bibliographic record is available under the Creative Commons CC0 public domain dedication. The New College of Florida, as creator of this bibliographic record, has waived all rights to it worldwide under copyright law, including all related and neighboring rights, to the extent allowed by law.

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