Ecuador expands nature reserve around Galapagos Islands | Abroad

Ecuadorian President Guillermo Lasso on Friday inaugurated the new natural park, called Hermandad (Brotherhood), by cutting a ribbon aboard a research vessel made from waste cleared from the beaches of the Galapagos Islands. Also present at the ceremony were former US President Bill Clinton, Colombian President Iván Duque and delegates from Costa Rica and Panama.

The extension of the marine protected area is one of the results of last year’s climate summit in Glasgow. It was then agreed to reduce Ecuador’s international debt in exchange for the new park. President Lasso called the park a “clear message to the world” that “heralds a new relationship with the Earth, redefining what progress means to humanity.”

The Galapagos Archipelago is located about 1000 kilometers off the coast of Ecuador in the Pacific Ocean. The archipelago has one of the most fragile ecosystems in the world, with many species of flora and fauna found nowhere else. In the 19th century, the British scientist Charles Darwin found the basis for his theory of evolution. Covering 198,000 square kilometres, the region is now one of the largest marine reserves in the world.