Greenpeace urges Galapagos high seas protected area

Environmental NGO Greenpeace has called for more protection of the seas around the Galapagos Islands. The existing protection zone around the archipelago, which belongs to Ecuador and lies around 1,000 kilometers (620 miles) off the mainland, is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and, according to Greenpeace, should be significantly expanded to protect the oceans and its inhabitants.

The waters around the 13 islands of the archipelago are home to around 3,000 different marine species, including sea lions, sea turtles and hammerhead sharks. Outside the 198,000 square kilometer (76,450 square mile) protection zone, which already covers 97% of the archipelago and 99% of its waters, industrial deep-sea fishing is endangering underwater life.

A remote-controlled submersible with Greenpeace's research expedition sinks into the depths of the sea. Greenpeace has called on governments to implement the High Seas Treaty, which was adopted by the United Nations in March 2023. The agreement allows for a nature reserve in international waters. However, it has yet to enter into force, as too few countries have ratified it.

Several animal species are unique to the Galapagos Islands, found nowhere else in the world. As a result, they are very rare and their populations are often threatened by diseases or animal species introduced from the outside. The Galapagos penguin is the rarest penguin species in the world and extremely endangered. But according to counts from 2022, the population is growing once again.

Tourism is now the most important source of income on the Galapagos Islands, with visitor numbers increasing since the 1970s. But it's a double-edged sword: people traveling to the islands represent the biggest threat to the remote archipelago's unique ecosystem.

The protected area around the Galapagos Islands is "one of the best examples of marine conservation in action," Greenpeace's Ruth Ramos said in a statement. The area was significantly enlarged in 2020 to connect scattered islands and better protect the annual migration routes of marine animals. It remains an exception, Ramos told AFP: only 3% of the ocean is "currently fully or highly protected."

Some 60% of the world's oceans are found in international waters and cannot be declared nationally protected areas. It took more than 15 years for the United Nations to agree on the framework for the High Seas Treaty, which is intended to close this gap. A total of 60 nations must ratify the treaty for it to be implemented, but only Palau and Chile have done so to date.

Animals aren't bound by national borders; many follow long migration routes to reach their preferred places to nest, breed and feed. Environmental activists hope to implement the High Seas Treaty by 2025. Ramos said the governments of Ecuador, Panama, Colombia and Costa Rica have already taken "admirable steps" to protect the oceans.