Galápagos Islands

• Fishing/collecting aquatic resources (illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing / collection of aquatic resources)
• Legal framework (inadequate implementation of the Special Law on Galápagos)
• Governance
• Identity, social cohesion, changes in local population and community (high immigration rate)
• Illegal activities
• Impacts of tourism / visitor / recreation
• Invasive Alien Species / biosecurity (inadequate and ineffective quarantine measures)
• Major visitor accommodation and associated infrastructure

Total amount provided to the property: USD 3.5 million for the capitalization of an introduced species Trust Fund, management of introduced species, tourism management studies and other technical support.

On 28 November 2022, the State Party submitted a state of conservation report which is available at https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/1/documents/, reporting the following:

• All pending recommendations from the 2017 Reactive Monitoring mission have been addressed;
• Indicators related to attributes which convey the Outstanding Universal Value (OUV) of the property were developed to serve as the basis for ongoing monitoring and management. The integration of standardised information on the attributes for pelagic ecosystems is underway through international assistance funding provided by UNESCO;
• An evaluation of threats to the property and management actions to address these threats was undertaken, based on UNESCO/IUCN guidance materials. Spatial analysis of threats within the property showed that buildings and development occupy less than 3% of the property, while Invasive Alien Species (IAS) were more broadly distributed across the property. Assessment of threat intensity showed that land conversion and harvesting of natural resources represent significant threats to the property while climate change, illegal, unregulated and unreported (IUU) fishing and IAS require immediate intervention to mitigate their impacts on the OUV;
• The majority of threats are being reduced as a result of control measures, with the exception of climate change, and ecological and geological events (e.g., earthquakes, landslides, tsunamis);
• Biosecurity measures undertaken by the Galápagos Biosecurity Agency (GBA) have resulted in a decrease in the index of entry for invasive species from airline and maritime transport at the property’s entry points between 2020 and 2022. Additional measures such as transport and farm inspections are in place for the control and surveillance of IAS between islands;
• The number of flights and, consequently the number of person arrivals, in Galápagos is governed by the National Civil Aviation Council;
• Following the dramatic effect of the COVID-19 pandemic on tourism in 2020, the number of tourist arrivals in the property has increased in 2021 but is still 40% lower compared to 2019;
• Data from the vessel monitoring surveillance system indicate that the majority of industrial fishing vessels operate at least 5 km from the boundaries of the property, under strict regulatory control as they are mostly Ecuadorian flagged and registered with the Inter-American Tropical Tuna Commission (IATTC). Artisanal fishing in the property is also strongly regulated with a total of 247 registered fishing vessels that comply with rules and regulations;
• Hermandad Marine Reserve, a 60,000 km² marine protected area (MPA) was designated between the Galápagos Marine Reserve (GMR) and Cocos Island (Costa Rica) to safeguard the migration routes of several key pelagic species and enhance the protection of the properties’ OUV;
• Implementation of the new zoning system for the property adopted in 2017 is now underway following a decision from the Constitutional Court of Ecuador in 2021.

The significant ongoing efforts by the State Party to address the longstanding issues related to tourism, IAS and IUU fishing, including through the implementation of the recommendations of the 2017 Reactive Monitoring mission, are welcomed. Appreciation is due in particular for the recent progress on the operationalisation of the GBA, the development and implementation of the vessel monitoring system, and the regional collaboration to address IUU fishing.

The development of indicators related to attributes of the OUV, and the corresponding threat reduction assessment, represents a significant step towards effective long-term monitoring and adaptive management of the property. It is encouraging that management measures appear to be effectively reducing threats to the property’s OUV. However, it is noted that longstanding and emerging threats including IAS, tourism and associated infrastructure, illegal harvesting of natural resources, climate change and land conversion remain stable and require ongoing management efforts. It is therefore recommended that the Committee request the State Party to integrate the aforementioned indicators, and corresponding measures to address threats, into the current Management Plan for the property, and to submit the updated Management Plan to the World Heritage Centre once it is available.

The State Party should be encouraged to continue its commendable efforts to limit and control the further spread of IAS, through effective implementation of the 10-year Galápagos Invasive Species Management Plan, sufficient enforcement and funding.

The information that tourism is strictly regulated in the property and commensurate with a zero-growth model for tourism is noted. However, statistics publicly available at the website of the Ministry of Tourism show a steep and continuous increase of visitor numbers (https://servicios.turismo.gob.ec/) from less than 12,000 at the time of inscription in 1978 to more than 270,000 in 2019 before the start of the pandemic. Notwithstanding the temporary decrease in numbers as a result of the COVID pandemic, tourist visitation numbers from January to March 2023 are reported to be 78,507, which is over than 9,500 more than in the first quarter of 2019, prior to the pandemic. The reported opening of a new flight connection to Galapagos from the city of Manta in March 2023 will only further exacerbate this trend.

Since 1998, when a cap was established on the total capacity of the cruise ship fleet, most of this growth is land-based visitation, which carries even larger risks of introduction and dispersal of alien species compared with ship-based tourism. It is of concern that the State Party did not provide any information on whether work has started on the development of a tourism strategy and clear action plan, which was requested by the Committee in its Decision 44 COM 7B.113 to achieve the zero-growth model, including maintaining the moratorium on construction of new tourism projects and the limits on the number of flights. While it is noted that the number of flights and, consequently the number of arrivals, in Galápagos is governed by the National Civil Aviation Council, the World Heritage Centre and IUCN consider that it is the responsibility of the State Party to manage tourism flow in a way that is compatible with the OUV of the property, including by pursuing a zero-growth tourism model, as previously requested by the Committee.

It is positive that most fishing vessels around the property are under regulatory oversight for compliance, reporting, and fishery observer coverage. Recalling the negative impact of IUU fishing on the OUV of the property, the State Party is requested to ensure continuous compliance of these fishing vessels with rules and regulations in place, including continued strengthening of their vessel monitoring system, and to ensure the continued monitoring of any illegal or unregulated fishing vessels that may encroach on or operate at the peripheries of the property.

The designation of the Hermandad Marine Reserve between the Galápagos Islands and Cocos Island represents a positive development to enhance the protection of the OUV through improved connectivity for migratory species across the region. The State Party should be encouraged to enforce the regulations established within the MPA alongside efforts to further strengthen its collaboration with neighboring countries.

In November 2021, the Presidents of Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, and Panama signed a declaration to the sustainable management of the Eastern Tropical Pacific Marine Corridor (CMAR) and started a regional process that could result in the establishment of the world's largest transboundary marine biosphere reserve encompassing four World Heritage sites: Cocos Island National Park (Costa Rica), Galápagos Islands (Ecuador), Malpelo Fauna and Flora Sanctuary (Colombia) and the Coiba National Park and its Special Zone of Marine Protection (Panama). This corridor covers more than 500,000 ha and is an important migratory route for a number of species which represent attributes of the property’s OUV including whales, sharks, and manta rays. It is recommended that the Committee welcome this development and encourage the States Parties to further pursue this initiative.