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| Garrapatero Beach |
Garrapatero Beach (El Garrapatero) , located on Santa Cruz Island in the Galapagos, is one of the most popular beaches for tourists to venture to. The contrast of the black volcanic rock that makes up a lot of the beach along with the white sand and blue water is what makes this beach so memorable and unique. The beach is accompanied by a freshwater lake just behind it, which is home to flamingos, herons, and other birds that live closely to water. Other animals such as iguanas and penguins are also found on the perimeter of the beach. The whole beach is about 1.8 miles long. The island of Santa Cruz is the second largest island of the Galapagos and was formed by a volcanic eruption of a still active volcano on the Island. The eruption also explains the large masses of volcanic rock along Garrapatero Beach that lead into the water, as shown in the picture above. Garrapatero Beach is about a 20 minute boat ride from the main island and about a 50 minute car ride.
Garrapatero Beach is just one of the many beautiful beaches along the shores of Santa Cruz Island including Tortuga Bay and Playa de los Perros. To get to Tortuga Bay there is a trail that leads you through habitats of different land birds. Playa de los Perros is a very small beach and also includes a White-tipped Shark pond.
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| El Garrapatero Beach |
Garrapatero Beach is considered to be a place free of human invasion and it's tidal pools and trails are part of the national park, therefore, no construction or development is allowed near or on the beach. Why do you think they want to keep the beach as it always is instead of developing it? This rule stands for a lot of the Galapagos Islands, in which no change to the actual island is allowed. The weather on the beach throughout the year is sunny, warm, and welcoming to all visitors.
El Garrapatero beach is important for many reasons, but a big one is that visitors have to be careful and not change the surroundings of the wildlife around the water. The Galapagos Islands are at risk of human population today because more and more people want to visit and live there. Doing so, they will change the islands' whole system drastically by bringing in new species and completely changing the way the species that are native live. New Animals to the area like goats and pigs are ruining the natural ecosystems by taking the resources they need from other native animals that also need them.
I am excited to visit this beautiful beach and see what the rest of the Galapagos Islands have in store for us.
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| Galapagos Pink Flamingo |
What do you think? Should the rules about conservation stay the same in the future on the islands? Should tourists still be allowed even though we are affecting the way the animals interact naturally?
I think it is best to keep strict conservation rules because without them in place the Galapagos islands would not be what they are today. Conservation rules on all of the islands might not be ideal for tourists but they would be best for the environment and protecting the species.
ReplyDeleteAllowing tourists and developers to overtake the habitat of the these animals will destroy what made the Galapagos Islands unique and memorable in the first place. I think rules over conservation should continue to be strict to ensure that the beauty of the islands remains.
ReplyDeleteThe rules for conservation of the Galapagos Islands are reasonable because the islands are so essential for science today. They allow for a first-hand look into how the Theory of Evolution through Natural Selection plays a role on Earth. The islands also allow us to see how small changes to the environment can cause a drastic change in the animals who can survive in those conditions. The careless ways of humans could cause many changes to the environment and risk completely destroying the unique insight into evolution at work that the Galapagos provide.
ReplyDeleteThe conservation efforts now are justified by the unique biodiversity present on the islands. Tourists should not be allowed because they are an unnecessary opportunity for pollution by the planes or boats they use and the waste they produce. Biologists should still be allowed to go because their work is necessary for the future, and they appreciate the organisms much more than we can.
ReplyDeleteThe conservation efforts now are justified by the unique biodiversity present on the islands. Tourists should not be allowed because they are an unnecessary opportunity for pollution by the planes or boats they use and the waste they produce. Biologists should still be allowed to go because their work is necessary for the future, and they appreciate the organisms much more than we can.
ReplyDelete