Letter sent to National Geographic
from: Ricardo Nunez CristiansenDear National Geographic Editors:
The last article about Galapagos is a great article in many ways but has a big mistake from my point of view (I was resident for 10 years, owner/operator and charter boat captain, naturalist guide, diver and surfer for that same length of time at Galapagos). Many interesting things are said in the article that has not been said before, as: introduced animals and its poor control, the money from Tourism that goes to the mainland because operators do not live there but in Quito or Guayaquil, the high impact of massive Tourism that should not exist in Galapagos in the first place and the unconscious predation of industrial fishermen of medium and high tonnage, like sea cucumber, lobstering and tuna boats, etc.
The great error of this article is, that it mentions irresponsibly a "comment" of some so- called "scientist" that says: the great villain of this novel is none other than the tourist... and even worst when it says: "If I would have to get rid and choose between tourist or fishermen, the tourist will have to go...."
This is not true and is unbelievable its mentioned in a magazine of such level, and has great environmental irresponsibility to say, write and publish that. Because right now the national and international industrial fishermen will assume and take the opportunity, as they are already doing and saying in Ecuador at least, to say that they are not really the problem , therefore keep doing what they had been doing along history with the marine environment all over the planet. They will keep doing, encouraged by "scientific" comments like that, to keep on predating on the Galapagos Marine Reserve recently created with back up laws and regulations that has taken so much effort and time and struggle to the republic of Ecuador, and its people, but especially to the actual residents, Park Officials and the real scientist in the islands.
I just hope that this comments wont have the effect that we are already hearing locally by the ecuadorian fishermen as a pretext or justification to the destruction of the islands and mainland marine environment based on this comments that do not have any real scientific value and/or truth in it.
Hopefully, Mr. Benchley and the magazine editors are accountable of the serious damage that this could bring. And, if this does happens, another article be written to straighten things on clarifying lightly taken comments.
I really hope this letter will transcend and won't fall into deaf ears.
Yours truly,
Ricardo Nunez Cristiansen
Po Box 5742
Guayaquil, Ecuador
TF 5934-862801
Fax 5934-863236
email: rnunezc@gye.satnet.net(Pd. A similar letter was sent to National Geographic en Espanol.)