'¿Todos a Galápagos?' Overtourism in wilderness areas of the Global South.

Pécot, Mathias; Ricaurte-Quijano, Carla

doi:10.1079/9781786399823.0070

Cited by 7 publications

(2 citation statements)

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“…There are several other large NGOs dedicated to conservation, scientific research, and social work that are very active in the islands. This diverse set of institutions has created a scenario of overlapping missions and objectives, which can at times result in conflicts over policy decisions, nature conservation, regulations for tourism, and funding (see Batty et al 2019; Celata and Sanna 2012; Durham 2008; Hennessy 2018a, 2018b; Hennessy and McCleary 2011; Hoyman and McCall 2013; Hunt 2021; Mathis and Rose 2016; Pecot and Ricaurte-Quijano 2019; Quiroga 2019; Villacis and Carrillo 2013).…”

Section: Nature and Politics In Galápagosmentioning

confidence: 99%

When the Archaeologists Leave

Astudillo,

Becerra,

Delgado

et al. 2023

Adv. archaeol. pract.

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The Hacienda El Progreso functioned as an important Ecuadorian agro-industrial enterprise in the late nineteenth century. Operating out of San Cristóbal Island in the Galápagos archipelago, the plantation exported refined sugar, coffee, cattle products, and other goods to national and international markets. From its beginnings in the 1860s, the plantation established the first permanent human settlement on the island, and long after its demise in the 1930s, it continues to exert an important influence in local culture. Contemporary communities of San Cristóbal are shaping their identities based on the historical importance of the hacienda. The summer of 2018 was our last field season. From its start, the Historical Ecology of the Galápagos Islands project involved close participation with communal authorities and town leaders to investigate the island's human past. In this article, we discuss legacy and services of our project in the contemporary setting of Galápagos. We examine the relevance and contributions of our project to education, heritage policies, and the local economy. We discuss lessons learned from interactions and collaborations between archaeologists and the local community, and we evaluate the consequences of implementing an archaeological project on a remote environmental sanctuary where interest in human history can collide with the agendas of nature conservation and a lucrative ecotourism industry.

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Section: Nature and Politics In Galápagosmentioning

confidence: 99%

When the Archaeologists Leave

Astudillo,

Becerra,

Delgado

et al. 2023

Adv. archaeol. pract.

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“…The Galapagos Islands (Figure 1) have a local population of around 30 thousand people, but it is a popular foreign tourist destination. Thus, in 2019, 271 thousand tourists arrived in the Galapagos protected areas (PNG, 2020), and inefficient planning and management of the local marine environment have been reported (Walsh and Mena, 2016;Mestanza-Ramón et al, 2019b), which in turn is exerting high pressure on marine resources and leading to contamination (Pecot and Ricaurte-Quijano, 2019;Ricaurte-Quijano et al, 2019), including micro plastics. Given the high volume of visitors under normal conditions, these environments should provide good examples of the impact of reduced human pressures caused by the COVID pandemic.…”

Section: Study Areamentioning

confidence: 99%

COVID-19 Impacts on Beaches and Coastal Water Pollution at Selected Sites in Ecuador, and Management Proposals Post-pandemic

2021

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The COVID-19 pandemic has obliged Governments all around the world to implement confinement and social distancing measures. Leisure and business activities on beaches and in ports have restricted direct and indirect contamination from, for example, plastics, hydrocarbon spillage, microbiological loads, and noise levels. This has led to temporarily improved environmental conditions, and the beaches having conditions closer to Marine Protected Areas. Here we report some impacts that have been studied using local surveys and qualitative observations in Ecuador at the popular beaches and ports of Salinas, Manta, and Galapagos. Satellite data support this information. Online surveys were carried out at critical moments of the pandemic: May (15th) and just after when measures were relaxed a little, but within lockdown in July (21st) 2020. Respondents were asked to compare conditions before and during the pandemic lockdown. Most (97–99%) suggested that beaches had significantly improved from visual observations during confinement. On a scale from 1 (worst) to 5 (best), the beaches of Salinas and Manta respectively were rated 2.2 and 2.8 (less than acceptable) before quarantine, and 4.5 and 4.3 after; results from the second survey (after 18 weeks of restrictions) were much the same. Replies from Galapagos showed a similar trend but with less marked differences. In addition to the beaches having less plastic and garbage, more fish, and large marine organisms, including humpback whales (Megaptera novaeangliae), dolphin (bottlenose, Tursiops truncatus), and manta ray (Manta sp.) were observed near to shore. At Galapagos beaches, turtles, sea lions, and sharks were observed many more times than pre COVID. Quantitative satellite data on Chlorophyl and attenuation coefficient (Kd, 490 nm) support the qualitative survey data that there is an improvement in coastal environment quality. Here we recommend that this unique opportunity resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic is used locally, regionally and globally to construct baseline data sets that include information on physical, chemical, biological, and microbiological factors in coastal zones. These parameters can then help establish an effective Coastal Zone Management Plan based on beach description and quality (water standards, noise pollution), as well as the human dimension (tourist load, cultural heritage, and economic value indices). This data and information gathering ideally should be done before the beaches become more heavily used again as the pandemic recedes.

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Technological Solutions to Overtourism: Potential and Limits

Gretzel

2021

Mediterranean Protected Areas in the Era of Overtourism

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Overtourism is a pressing issue for tourism destinations, including those whose attractiveness and experiential offerings are based on natural resources. The relationship between overtourism and technology is complicated, but technological solutions are generally seen as critical for overcoming or at least mitigating overtourism and its negative consequences for destinations. This chapter discusses a variety of smart technologies and illustrates how they can support smart tourism initiatives aimed at avoiding or solving overtourism issues and increasing overall sustainability at the destination. In addition to highlighting various solution potentials, this chapter also discusses the possible drawbacks of smart technology use in light of the specific characteristics of nature-based destinations. It concludes that comprehensive and holistic strategies based on a combination of technological and governance-related solutions are needed to combat the potentially detrimental effects of overtourism in nature-based destinations.

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'¿Todos a Galápagos?' Overtourism in wilderness areas of the Global South.

Cited by 7 publications

References 0 publications

When the Archaeologists Leave

When the Archaeologists Leave

COVID-19 Impacts on Beaches and Coastal Water Pollution at Selected Sites in Ecuador, and Management Proposals Post-pandemic

Technological Solutions to Overtourism: Potential and Limits

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