15 species have disappeared in Galapagos

According to the Direction of the Galapagos National Park (DPNG), three plants, four species of turtles and eight mammal become extinct.

Tourism is one of the causes. In the 1970s, a wave of tourism began to grow in the archipelago. Only last year there were 204 395 visits, 13% more than in 2012.

Playa Mann is one of the favorite sites for visitors that arrive to San Cristobal. Despite that there are park ranger and the DPNG ordered to keep at least 2 meters of the species, not always met. “If someone approaches and touches a breeding, the mother then it will not recognize the smell, abandon it and die”, mentions Gianny Arismendi, Ranger.

With the increase of travelers also risks increased, as the introduction of species. Until 2013, the DPNG reported 919 species of introduced plants, 542 of invertebrates, vertebrates 30 and 10 diseases of birds. Freddy Narváez, responsible for inspection of the Agency for the regulation and Control of the biosecurity for Galapagos, explains that they made revisions to all tourists who come.