Ecologists Propose Ecuador Debt Eased in Exchange for Stronger Galapagos Preservation

BUENOS AIRES (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 12th March, 2021) Ecuador's government must seek to alleviate some of its external debt burden in exchange for increased commitments to preserve the unique Galapagos Islands, an environmental action group told Sputnik.

According to ecologist researcher Monica Calvopina, the MasGalapagos group has prepared an initiative to incentivize the Ecuadorian government to expand the area of the national park in exchange for debt relief.

"A group of citizens from the islands, with the support of various organizations, began to analyze technical and scientific information, legal mechanisms to create a new territory around the islands. In December 2020, we completed this work and have a concrete proposal," Calvopina told Sputnik.

MasGalapagos hopes to double the 50-mile protective zone around the remote island chain to include more maritime territory.

As Ecuador is currently in the midst of a presidential election, with a second-round vote scheduled for April 11, MasGalapagos hopes to seize the political moment and capitalize on candidates' enthusiasm.

Ecuador's external debt ballooned under outgoing President Lenin Moreno and has grown to make up a worrying 50 percent of the country's GDP.

"The idea of debt cancellation in exchange for the development of the islands was born precisely because we were looking for sources to support it.

The idea was proposed by one American organization, this idea seemed to us very good since everyone benefits from this - both the state and the Galapagos themselves," Calpovina said.

According to MasGalapagos legal adviser Mauricio Munoz, the practice has been successfully tried before in the region.

"Ecuador will not be the first to implement such a practice, similar programs have already been undertaken earlier in Latin America," Munoz said.

He explained that back in the 1980s, neighboring Bolivia auctioned away $650,000 of its external debt in exchange for expanding the nature reserve in the Beni region to 1.5 million hectares (3.7 million acres).

Calpovina said that pandemic lockdowns and reduced ecotourism resulted in a staggering bounce back of local wildlife and increased free-roaming of local species. An expanded nature reserve would take advantage of that and ensure harmonious habitation of the unique fauna.

The isolated pacific have scores of species not seen anywhere in the world. A voyage from the UK in the 19th Century brought a young Charles Darwin to the islands. Based on his observations there, he would later formulate the revolutionary theory of evolution.