The Galapagos Islands represent a place in the world were ECOTOURISM takes place. This is environmentally friendly tourism where the people involved seek to protect the environment as much as possible and to allow for some level of education as well. In many cases of ecotourism, some of the profits go back into protecting the environment and the tourism is small scale, with low visitor number densities and environmental approaches to accommodation and food. For example, I have stayed in an ecotourism lodge in Puerto Maldonado in Peru, where tours of the Amazon forest take place for tourists staying in small wooden huts there is limited electricity and waste is dealt with on site, and the food at the resort is sourced locally. The Galapagos are run along these lines because;
Tourists visit under strict rules
They can only visit on small ships of 10 to 16 tourists, most of which are owned by local people
The tourists can only visit a limited number of places on the Islands, thus protecting the rest of the Islands
The tourists are only allowed to visit in small numbers.
Visitors also receive information on how to conserve the Islands prior to their departure to the Islands.
They also have to pay a £25 fee to promote conservation on the Islands
Despite all of this, there are still some problems from the overuse of some sites (honey pot sites), oil spills from boats, and pollution to the Islands water supply and the water supply is put under pressure from the tourists use.
However, local people make a valuable living from tourism and there are few other employment opportunities available. Tourists also generate a lot of businesses in the local economy as guides, restraints, hotels, boats owners and cleaners all benefit.