The Spanish actress Alba Flores visited the Galapagos Islands together with the Greenpeace organization, to insist on the ratification of the United Nations Ocean Treaty.
Actress Alba Flores in the Galapagos Islands, calling for governments to ratify a treaty to protect the oceans.
Far from her native Spain and from the spotlights of television or theater, the Spanish actress and activist Alba Flores, famous for playing Nairobi in the series ‘La casa de papel’, arrived to the Galapagos Islands (Ecuador) to advocate for the hand of the environmental organization Greenpeace for the ratification of the United Nations Ocean Treaty, signed a year ago.
Aboard the icebreaking ship Arctic Sunrise, which sails the waters of the Galapagos to make visible the scientific work in the first natural heritage of humanity declared by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), Flores He confirmed first-hand the high biodiversity of the area in general, and even that of the seabed.
After several days on the boat and after snorkeling in the protected areas of the Galapagos marine reserve, Flores said in an interview with EFE that he saw “a lot of animals, an incredible landscape.”
“All this is to show that the maritime areas that are protected have incredible results, and that there are more areas that we have to get protected,” Flores commented.
“If we had a network of marine sanctuaries, it would be something that would help a lot to recover the fauna and nature of the oceans, which are vital for human beings and for coexistence on the planet,” said the actress, also known for playing Saray Vargas in the series ‘Vis a vis’.
Flores explained that “there is an area very close (to the Galapagos) to international waters that is a transit area for many species.”
“We think that the Governments of Ecuador, Colombia, Costa Rica and Panama should ratify the Ocean Treaty and protect that area so that the species that live here in the Galapagos have a guaranteed journey,” he emphasized.
This is because many species migrate and in their migration, they leave, but do not return, says Flores, known for raising the flag of feminism and also being a vegetarian, in a campaign with animal rights organizations.
“Political will”
On March 5, 2023 and after years of discussions, the Ocean Treaty was finally approved for the conservation and sustainable use of marine biodiversity outside areas under national jurisdiction – a space that occupies more than 60% of the ocean -, by the that a series of aspects will be regulated for the first time worldwide to stop its decline.
But now the governments must ratify it, “put political will into doing what they agreed to do,” Flores said, considering that “it is not that difficult to design laws.”
The actress pointed to the Galapagos as an example, as there are areas with different levels of protection that coexist with traditional fishing and respect the environment. “Why don’t they do it in the rest of the world?” she asked.
“At the same time that we were on the boat, there are also a few scientists doing some studies, with the aim of providing empirical data that will help governments decide, if common sense is not enough,” said Flores, considering that ” it is about negotiating and organizing well all the activities that occur at sea.”
For the activist, the Treaty – ratified so far by Chile and the small island republic of Palau – is the “perfect tool to be able to place restrictions” in international waters“ and that, effectively, there is already a legal framework to prevent this from happening.” abusive fishing, industrial fishing, mass fishing, and especially of species that are protected.”
“There is only 1% of protected space in the oceans and the idea was to reach at least 30% by 2030. The ideal would be more. That is why the measure of protecting large areas of international waters is not a minor measure, it is essential,” she stressed.
“You can’t deny the evidence”
The 37-year-old actress and activist called the Treaty a “good gateway” to protect the oceans but stressed that it must be accompanied by other measures, such as controlling the use of plastic and global coordination in favor of the environment.
“I don’t understand how politicians don’t listen to scientists. This is something that makes my head explode, the evidence cannot be denied, I don’t really know what interests they have that make them ignore scientists,” she commented.
For this reason, Flores wants to put the popularity gained on stage and the legacy of his last name at the service of conservation, “so that people who are not so visible or so well known can be heard behind this whole project: scientists , Greenpeace scientists,” she said, confessing herself delighted by the biodiversity of the Galapagos.
As an example, he said that in a very small bay he saw a shark, a manta ray, penguins, sea lions and a lot of birds. “A bunch of fish I can’t even name,” she joked.
She was impressed by the animals’ levels of coexistence. “Here the animal is absolutely calm, as if it knew that it was protected, that nothing could harm it ,” Flores said.
