01/15/2022: Galapagos is expanding its marine reserve


The Galapagos Islands, 906 kilometers west of Ecuador, are a UNESCO World Heritage Site known worldwide for its unique diversity of plants and animals is (Photo: galapagos.gob)

Conservationists on Friday (14th) celebrated the Ecuadorian government's decision to expand the Galapagos Marine Protected Area by 60,000 square kilometers to 198,000 square kilometers . The decision benefits highly migratory species such as sharks and turtles, among others. Eliécer Cruz, coordinator of the NGO "Más Galápagos", described this as "a great first step for marine conservation, which is undoubtedly complementary and has a special meaning because it connects the Galápagos Marine Protected Area with the Protected Area of ??the Cocos Islands". He added that the uniqueness of this new reserve is that it sits on a sort of biological highway above the Cocos Mountains and is used by turtles, hammerhead sharks and mammals to travel freely between the Galapagos and Cocos Islands to travel here. "A corridor that keeps this area free of fisheries is essential for migratory marine species." President Guillermo Lasso wants to sign a decree with the new sea area before noon. He has invited Colombian President Ivan Duque and former US President Bill Clinton, who arrived on Thursday evening, as godparents, as well as the foreign ministers of Costa Rica and Panama. (Source: www.latina-press.com)