THE PURPOSE OF THE ADVENTURE:
Recently I set off on a quest to the Galapagos, an archipelago off the coast of Ecuador with the most incredible animals – a place that inspired Darwin’s Theory Of Evolution. Our wonderful host Eddie Salazar shared with us the most magnificent parts of his homeland and best waves with his companies Galapagos Exclusive Tours and Amangala Surf Tours.
My adventure quest was two fold, document the unique animals on land and sea, AND meet with government officials and local communities to learn how they are maintaining the Galapagos as one of the last pristine places on earth. Galapagos can be a model for other countries to follow – they have plastic pollution education as part of school curriculum, conduct weekly beach cleanups, and the government has outlawed single use plastics.
THE SECRET OF THE GALAPAGOS:
As the mayor and governor agreed in and interview, “The secret of keeping the Galapagos paradise is that the locals love their Archipelago – protecting the Galapagos is in their hearts. The children learn in school not throw plastic and they even teach the adults and visitors. Family is the basis for taking care of the conservation. We take pride in our island and the children learn how important it is to keep plastics and other pollution out of the environment.”
WHY THE GALAPAGOS IS IMPORTANT TO PROTECT!
I joined in weekly beach cleanups and carefully documented the natural beauty of the Galapagos oceanic wildlife – marine iguanas, sharks, penguins, turtles, blue footed boobies and native sea lions – to inspire other countries to also protect the ocean shores and wildlife. The Galapagos is working hard to protect it’s fragile ecosystem, yet is under threat by plastics carried on ocean currents from the rest of the world – They have seen labels from as far as Saudi Arabia, China, other South American countries, and the US. AND climate change poses a very severe threat to many of the following animals, some of which are highly endangered.
We must come together as an entire planet to protect our environment, our oceans, and the animals that call home.
ANIMALS OF THE GALAPAGOS
