The event takes place in the Galapagos Islands with the presence of ministers and former presidents.
President Guillermo Lasso signed this Friday the Executive Decree that formalizes the creation of the new protected area in the Galapagos Islands.
This reserve was baptized as Brotherhood, and of the 60,000 square kilometers, including 30,000 no take and 30,000 no longlines. These are in addition to the 138,000 square kilometers that were already protected.
“We may be a small territory and our environmental footprint is negligible compared to other countries, but we are also on the planet. And today we are enlarged for your protection,” Lasso said.
Former US President Bill Clinton will be a witness of honor at the signing of the decree of the new protected area in Galapagos
The signing of the decree took place in an event held in the bay of Puerto Ayora on the Sierra Negra boat.
“There are places that mark the history of humanity and today we have the honor of being in one of them. These islands that welcome us today have served to teach us something about ourselves. If instead of acting as absolute masters of these lands, we are their protectors?“, Lasso indicated.
In addition, he stated: “From these islands that have taught us so much, we have shown that caring for the planet is possible. This Government believes in openness and global integration. As our impact on the environment grows, so does our commitment to caring for nature.”
Everything you need to know about the new protected area in Galapagos
The signing of the decree was carried out with the presence of the Colombian president, Iván Duque, and former US President Bill Clinton. Lasso cut the ribbon, made from recyclable material, which was collected during coastal cleanups.
“The oceans, which make up more than 60% of the world’s surface, purify a huge part of the air that is breathed on the continents. According to experts, this reaches up to 50% of all the oxygen in the world, or what means that one of every two breaths of humanity depends on the ocean”, pointed out the president.
The decree consists of four articles, two transitional provisions and one final.
In article two it mentions that the new protected area, called Reserva Marina Hermandad, it will be integrated into the National System of Protected Areas, through the state subsystem.
“An area of 30,000 km2 must be maintained in which extractive activities are not allowed and conserve areas of critical ocean ecosystems, migratory routes, and feeding grounds for threatened marine species; and, a responsible fishing zone of 30,000 km2, where fishing activities are allowed, except for activities that include the use of longlines”, says the article.
In article 3, it indicates that it will be the Ministry of the Environment, through the Undersecretary of Patrimony and the Directorate of the Galapagos National Park, who will manage, manage and administer the reserve.
Meanwhile, the First Transitory Provision details that within a maximum period of two months from the signing of the Executive Decree, the State portfolio, based on a technical report that will contain a situational diagnosis and a feasibility analysis of the declaration, will issue the Ministerial Agreement creating the new marine reserve.
The new reserve will establish a marine corridor between the Galapagos and Costa Rica’s Cocos Island, known as the “migravía” for being a place of passage for dozens of protected species.
At the Glasgow summit, the presidents of Ecuador, Panama, Costa Rica and Colombia signed an agreement for the protection of the corridor and advanced the establishment of an area of tens of thousands of square kilometers that will protect unique species in the Eastern Tropical Pacific.
With the agreement reached between the four countries of the tropical Pacific, a sustainable management of the Cocos Islands (Costa Rica), Galapagos (Ecuador), Malpelo (Colombia) and Coiba (Panama) is sought and to conserve this marine corridor or “migravía” , considered one of the most biodiverse in the world.
Activists also gathered at the event, especially from the Más Galapagos collective, and direct members of the National Chamber of Fisheries.
The omicron variant caused the list of international guests to be considerably reduced.
For Duque, participating in this event was important and he stated that “protecting these areas is protecting 40% of the world’s species. (…) We celebrate President Lasso’s decision. Today it is clear that if the world needs an agreement, Ecuador, Colombia and Panama set the example”.
Regarding the debt-for-conservation swap mechanism, from which the resources to protect the new area and the entire archipelago will be obtained, both Lasso and the ministers who accompanied them were extremely cautious. They indicated that it is still being analyzed, but that there are interested parties.
During the night of this Friday, a dinner is planned at the Royal Palm Galapagos Hotel in which President Guillermo Lasso and former US President Bill Clinton will participate. They are staying at that hotel. It is planned to talk about the new reservation and other topics. (I)
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