Posted on January, 24 2001
WWF believes that conservation in the Galapagos goes far beyond the current clean up operations. The spill from the tanker Jessica is an additional pressure on an ecosystem already threatened by over-fishing and the introduction of alien, invasive species. Adopted more than two years ago, the Special Law provides for the creation of a marine protected area within a 40 mile radius of the islands - from where industrial fishing would be banned - and restrictions on tourism and immigration. However, the necessary regulations to apply the law have been delayed.
"The Special Conservation Law was a great achievement of the Ecuadorian Government, but it is simply not being applied," said Peter Kramer, WWF's Network Relations Director, and former President of the Darwin Foundation for the Galapagos Islands. "The sinking of the Jessica has reminded the world how fragile the archipelago is. Only the urgent development and application of the Regulations for the Conservation Law, and particularly those on fisheries, tourism, immigration and quarantine will ensure that today's accident will not be tomorrow's disaster."
WWF has been supporting conservation programmes in the Galapagos for 40 years and contributed to the development of the Special Law. It has offered its technical help to the government of Ecuador in order to enforce this legal instrument.
At a global level, WWF is also calling on national governments to identify Particularly Sensitive Seas Areas (PSSAs) in their waters. PSSAs are marine areas that need special protection through action by the International Maritime Organization (IMO) because of their ecological, economic, cultural or scientific significance, and their vulnerability to harmful impacts from shipping activities.
"Applied to the Galapagos, PSSAs would help reduce the risk of accidents involving tankers such as the Jessica, as the passage of ships into ports and harbours of the islands, or transiting the area, would be specifically regulated," said Sian Pullen, WWF's International Shipping Expert.
For further information:
Peter Kramer, WWF's Network Relations Director and former President of the Darwin Foundation for the Galapagos,
contact through
Shaleen Russell, Rapid Response Communications Manager, tel: +41 79 477 3553 (for interviews in English, German and Spanish) or
Olivier van Bogaert, Press Officer, tel: +41 22 364 9554 (for interviews in French)
Sian Pullen: WWF's International Shipping Expert, contact through
Anita Neville, Head of Press WWF UK, Tel: +44 1483 412 385