We spent another magical day in the Galapagos Archipelago, visiting one of the most pristine and remote islands open to tourism: Genovesa, or Tower Island. Every island we visit during the week is a completely new experience, yet there is a common thread. Whether we are weaving our way through sea lion colonies, basking marine iguanas or immense sea bird colonies scattered amongst giant cacti; or wandering through green pastures and endemic cloud forests in search for tortoises in the wild and the elusive Darwin finches, the “ecological naïveté” and unique nature of the Galapagos biota is astounding.
The islands provide one with an unforgettable, life-changing look at the harmony that can be achieved with one’s surroundings, which inspires one to adopt a conservationist attitude towards the natural world. There are several threats to this paradise, amongst which are introduced species and illegal exploitation of the marine reserve, yet the truth is the islands are still amongst the most unspoiled natural areas in the world. There is so much hope in restoring them to the splendor Darwin encountered that the entities involved in conservation are full of commitment and enthusiasm towards this goal.
Conservation must start with the local population, however, as the inhabitants of the Galapagos are those ultimately responsible with safeguarding this natural jewel. There are approximately 20,000 inhabitants living in just 3 % of the surface area of the archipelago, and spread throughout four different islands. Though surrounded by Galapagos’ unique ecosystems, very few locals actually have the chance to enjoy the full experience their homeland has to offer. It is important that conservation start locally, especially with the young, in schools and high schools, from where it will seep out to the population at large. Education is the key issue here, yet the teachers find it hard to impart something they themselves have not experienced. For this reason, on board Polaris we periodically invite local teachers to share the experience with us, so as to take their acquired knowledge and enthusiasm back to the classroom with them.
This week four local teachers joined us: Margarita from a high school on Santa Cruz, the most populated island, Karina and sisters Monica and Magdalena from schools and high schools on Isabela Island, which has a much smaller population of mostly fishermen.
It was unbelievably gratifying to see the enjoyment these teachers got from the trip, which they uniformly qualified as one of the best experiences of their life. They told us today how they were anxious to get back to their classrooms to start sharing the knowledge they have acquired, and the footage they filmed, with their students; thus helping them to understand how truly invaluable their surroundings are. Their gratitude to Lindblad Expeditions and the Polaris for offering them so many unforgettable and wonderful moments and experiences was truly touching, and once again made us feel how worthwhile our work here in Galapagos really is.
