Posted on September, 28 2001

Quito, Ecuador.- The Ecuadorian Minister of Environment, Lourdes Luque de Jaramillo, has recently approved the issuance of a fishing permit for the vessel Tintorera, owned by Holger Johnjones. The permit will allow the Tintorera to fish inside the Galapagos Marine Reserve (GMR). Minister Luque's decision was based on a legal report prepared by Carlos Carbo, a legal advisor to the Ministry of the Environment. In addition, the Minister has ordered the Galapagos National Park (GNP) to issue the said permit.

Vicente Pólit, President of the Ecuadorian Committee for the Protection of Nature and the Environment (CEDENMA), announced that its member, The Galapagos Group, has contacted the Minister to express its deep concern over this matter. In its letter, the Galapagos Group also asked the Minister to reconsider her decision in light of the regulations established by the Galapagos Special Law, the recent decision of the Constitutional Court upholding the Special Law, and the participatory management process that has been implemented in the Islands."

CEDENMA, of which the Galapagos Group is a member, gathers all Ecuadorian environmental NGOs and provides technical assistance and support to conservation efforts in Galapagos.

According to information provided by the Galapagos fishing sector and the media in Ecuador, CEDENMA has learned that attorney Carbo submitted the petition in defiance to Resolution 171-RA-01-IS, which was issued by the First Tribunal of the Constitutional Court on January 31, 2001. This resolution denied the fishing permit because the Tintorera is a major craft, with a capacity of 93.7 tones and 21 meters of length.

The Special Law for the Conservation and Sustainable Management of the Galapagos Islands defined the marine area as a multiple use reserve with integrated administration, to be managed by the Galapagos National Park. To date, all management decisions have been made jointly by the Board for Participatory Management, the Galapagos National Park, and the Inter-institutional Management Authority (IMA). Accordingly, Pólit stated that "issuing the fishing permit ignores the fishing census and opens the door to similar requests from new, larger crafts, which would gain access to the Marine Reserve. This decision also undermines the ongoing participatory process, and the role of the IMA could be weakened as a result."

We request that all sectors interested in the conservation of the Galapagos Islands contact the Ministry of Environment to request the review of this decision, to ensure the application of the Law and avoid risking the conservation of the Galapagos Marine Reserve.

For further information contact:

Irma Larrea, WWF-Galapagos Program, Quito, Ecuador. Tels. [593 2] 25033-89 to 94, extension 309; E-mail: wwf-galapagos2@fnatura.org.ec