| Galápagos National Park | |
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IUCN Category II (National Park)
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Satellite photo of the Galápagos islands overlayed with the Spanish names of the visible main islands. |
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| Location | Ecuador Galápagos Islands |
| Area | 7995.4 km² |
| Established | 1959 |
Galápagos National Park, established in 1959, is Ecuador's first national park. The government of Ecuador designated 97% of the land area of Galápagos as the country's first National Park. The remaining 3% is distributed between the inhabited areas of Santa Cruz, San Cristobal, Floreana and Isabela.
In 1971, the Galápagos National Park Service had its first Superintendent, 2 officers and 6 park rangers on Santa Cruz Island. In 1974, the Galápagos National Park Service had its first management plan and a team of officials in accordance with the organic structure issued in 1973, with a Superintendent, 2 conservation officers, 40 park rangers to comply with management objectives.
In 1979 UNESCO declared the Galápagos Islands Natural Heritage for Humanity, making the Park Service through the Superintendent of the Park responsible for performing permanent park conservation and guarding the islands.
The Galápagos Marine Reserve was created in 1986. Additionally the same year the Galápagos National Park was included in the list of Biosphere Reserve because of its unique scientific and educational worth that should be preserved for perpetuity.
In 2007, the UNESCO added the Galapagos National Park to its List of World Heritage Sites in Danger[1], reflecting the dangers posed by a fast pace of human development in all its areas: inmigration, tourism and trade, all increasing the likelihood of introduction of invasive species to the islands. This represents the gravest danger to the fragile ecosystems which have evolved over millions of years in natural isolation. [2] [3]
A UNESCO mission arrived in Galapagos on the 29th April to study the progress made since 2007.
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