Los Galapagos

If anyone has not been to the Galapagos you should make a point to go at least once in your life. My family, Erin, and I just returned from 5 days there and it was of the most incredible and unique experiences in my life. I truly feel like I just returned from Paradise, and now have to go on living my normal life. From snorkeling with sea lions, sea turtles and sharks to lounging on a white sand beach with iguanas and blue footed boobies, the experience was unbelievable from start to finish. It is the only place I have ever been where wild animals are not the slightest bit scared or sometimes even interested in you, knowing that humans are no threat to them.

The trip was also incredibly informative and thought provoking, teaching about the natural cycle of life among animals, and the effects that humans have upon on that cycle. Each animal in the Galapagos has evolved mechanisms to survive in its habitat. Either by directly killing the animals or by introducing other animals which have an effect on the habitat, humans nearly eliminated many of the most amazing creatures. Only in the last fifty years have strict laws been enforced to stop this process, and the rangers are still struggling to eliminate animals such as rats and goats which destroy the natural cycle on the islands.

I felt like a privileged guest just to be there, with a part of me wondering if I should be there at all. We were restricted to small parts of each island, and were not allowed to touch or go to close to any of the animals, but are humans still having a negative effect? Without the money from tourism it would not be possible to maintain the area and to sponsor institutes like the Darwin institute, so is any other option really possible?

Finally, the whole experience really brought home to me how little we still know about maintaining and helping to preserve nature. Many experiments have been tried on the Galapagos to try and regain some of what was lost, and only some of these experiments have been successful. For the vast majority, the verdict is still out. What is our role in nature, should we simply let nature take its own course, or should we be actively trying to reverse our damage? Also, how can we act to preserve other amazing areas like the Galapagos? There are many parts of the world with incredible wildlife and plants that are being destroyed. Even on the other side of Ecuador there is a real struggle occurring in the rainforest, where the discovery of oil is leading to the destruction of huge swaths of forest. Any efforts to preserve the rainforest need to happen quickly, before the damage becomes irreversible. What is being done?