Protected Territory: From what? From Whom?

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Protected TerritoryFrom what? From Whom?
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What is a protected territory?

• It is an area managed by the government to ensure
  that the forests, the wildlife, the marine life,
  the ecosystems, the landscapes and the seascapes
  are protected

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What is a national park?

• It is land that is protected because it is a
  natural heritage.
• Natural heritage sites have little to no
  development.
• Urban or commercial development is limited/lots
  of restrictions (i.e. no Wal-Marts!)
• Sites are being preserved for future generations.

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• Ecosystems are protected and constantly
  monitored by national agencies.
• Ecosystem
• It is a community of animals, plants, insects,
  and micro-organisms that depend on each other for
  survival.

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• The World Conservation Union (IUCN) is an
  international organization that evaluates sites
  and recommends that a territory be protected.
• Applications are made/approved by IUCN.

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What happens when an area is declared a natural
park by IUCN?

• A) Land is developed by adding hiking trails,
  camp sites etc.
• B) Regulations (rules) for each park are written.
• Hunting, fishing and picking plants may be
  prohibited in some parks.

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Jasper national Park

• Located in the Canadian Rocky Mountains.
• This park is listed as a UNESCO World Heritage
  Site.
• Has protected ecosystems/wildlife.

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UNESCO World Heritage List

• UNESCO stands for United Nations Educational,
  Scientific and Cultural Organization

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• The Galapagos Islands is on the UNESCO World
  Heritage List
• To make it on the list, a park must be considered
  a world heritage- natural and cultural treasures
  belonging to the world

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Why are these territories protected?

• Symbolizes a province or country
• 2. Extraordinary landscapes (Iguazu National
  park, Argentina-Brazil)
• 3. Rich and rare ecosystems (The Pontoons, Tlell
  River, Haida Gwaii, Northern BC)
• 4. Recreational and educational areas for
  visitors
• 5. Sites for admiring nature (inspiration)

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• 6. Traces (evidence) of ancient human activities
  or societies (Mesa Verde National Park, U.S.A.).
• 7. Contain fossils or evidence of a natural
  phenomena (volcanic eruption).
• 8. Scientific research plants used for
  medicine.
• 9. They provide economic benefits, such as
  tourist activities and jobs.
• 10. Symbol of our identity.

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Galapagos IslandsA Protected Territory
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History of Galapagos

• South American aborginals probably first to set
  foot on Galapagos Islands.
• Tomas de Berlanga, the Bishop of Panama wrote
  first report on the Galapagos islands in 1535.

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Pirates

• They used islands in the 1680s as a refuge and/or
  a base.
• They attacked European ships carrying gold stolen
  from the Incas.
• They ate iguanas and tortoises.
• Ships brought over black rats to the islands.

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Whalers and Hunters (1790-1870)

• Fur seals came very close to extinction.
• Tortoises were killed for their meat or to make
  cooking oil.
• Charles Robert Darwin
• Charles Robert Darwin (12 February 1809 19
  April 1882) was an English naturalist who
  realized and presented compelling evidence that
  all species of life have evolved over time from
  common ancestors, through the process he called
  natural selection. (From Wikipedia, the free
  encyclopedia)

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Then and Now

• In 1835, only 200-300 human inhabitants lived on
  the islands.
• Islands were being used as a penal colony.
• Close to 40,000 people live in the archipelago
  today.
• Most of them work in the fishing, tourist and
  farming industries.
• Archipelago
• A group of many islands in a large body of water.
  

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The Galapagos Islands

• Located 1000 km off the west coast of Ecuador,
  South America.
• Its an archipelago (13 large islands, 6 smaller
  islands, 107 rocks and islets).
• Believed that first island formed between 5-10
  million yrs ago.
• Isabela and Fernandina are the youngest Islands
  that are still being formed.
• Volcanic eruptions still occur!

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Location/Climate

• Islands are aligned with the equator.
• Islands are a long distance from Ecuador.
• Closest land mass is the continent of South
  America.
• The climate is unique
• The ocean currents around the islands affect the
  climate.
• Larger islands have trees, while others are
  barren areas (no trees, hardened lava).
• Two (2) main seasons a cool dry season and a
  warm wet season.

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Conservation Laws

• Home to many endemic animals, plants, and
  insects.
• Endemic means they are only found on those
  islands.
• Laws were passed to protect these species by the
  Ecuadorian Government.
• (i.e. 100 visitors fee)
• The Galapagos Islands is a National Park
• Its a World Heritage Site!

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• The Charles Darwin Research Station was built
  (1964) on Santa Cruz island in Galapagos, and
  scientists now come from all over the world to
  study the plants and animals, and help to
  conserve them.
• The ocean around the Galapagos Islands was made
  a Marine Reserve in 1998 to protect the marine
  life.

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Threats to the Wildlife

• Illegal fishing/hunting or over-fishing/over-hunti
  ng.
• 2. Native animals (i.e. turtles) are competing
  with foreign animals (i.e. sheep) for the same
  food (plants).
• 3. Growing population on the islands (over 20,000
  inhabitants).
• 4. Tourism (number of tourists visiting the
  Islands each year is growing 60 000).

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• 5. Pollution and littering
• The tanker Jessica ran aground in the Galapagos
  archipelago in January 2001.
• Immediate damage to marine life was largely
  averted as the split oil was soon dispersed, but
  marine iguana populations in the vicinity fell by
  more than half during the following year.

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Magazine Report on the Galapagos Islands

• David Pouilloux, a journalist, wrote a report on
  the degradation (deterioration) on the Galapagos
  Islands.
• He entitled his report, State of Emergency in
  the Galapagos Islands.
• This report outlines the five (5) reasons why the
  Galapagos Islands is being threatened in the 21st
  century.

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1. Population Growth

• The human population in the Galapagos Islands has
  risen to 20,000 today.
• Due to immigration of Ecuadorians looking for
  better living conditions.
• Possibility of jobs in tourism and commercial
  fishing.

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2. Pollution

• Organised tourist cruises require fuel.
• The presence of oil tankers and cruise ships have
  increased the risk of oil slicks.
• In 2001, oil tanker Jessica ran aground on a
  sandbank close to san Cristobal and spilt over
  hundreds of thousands of litres of oil.
• This polluted the waters and harmed marine life.

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3. Overfishing

• Galapagos fishers over-fish swordfish, tuna,
  shark, and sea cucumbers.
• This occurs despite the fact that commerical
  fishing is forbidden by law.

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4. Invading species and predators

• Humans have introduced foreign species to the
  islands.
• Native species are threatened by foreign species
  in two (2) ways
• Both are competing for the same food
• Native species have become prey to foreign
  species (predators).
• Most dangerous invaders are goats, donkeys,
  pigs, dogs, cats, ants, wasps, black rats, and
  mice.

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5. Tourism

• Approximately 70,000 tourists visit the islands
  per year.
• They require entertainment and transport (fuel
  used to power boats and buses is harmful to the
  environment).
• They walk among seabird eggs and disrupt their
  reproductions.
• At sea, they throw plastic bags overboard.
• Tortoises fatally mistake these bags for
  jellyfish and swallow them.
• More garbage in residential areas.

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Protected Territory With or without residents?

• To conserve nature, should we forbid people to
  live in protected areas?

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YES, people should be forbidden to live in
protected areas because

• Some people believe humans have a negative impact
  on ecosystems.
• People should simply not be allowed to live in
  protected areas.
• People can only destroy or deteriorate the
  environment by using up all of its resources,
  polluting its lakes, rivers, forests etc.
• People simply get in the way of nature
  conservation.

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NO, people should be allowed to live in protected
areas because

• People should be allowed to live in protected
  areas and participate in its conservation
  efforts.
• Locals are in the best position to protect the
  environment because of their experience and
  knowledge.