When you read about people coming together to protect the marine life, you immediately know that there’s hope for the future. With modernization and technology come a few sacrifices, and unfortunately, the ocean has paid a dear price for it.
Now, the people from Ecuador have come together because they value what Mother Nature has given them. The ocean life in the Galapagos Islands may find comfort in the space that has been given to them by the people who care. We can only hope that the rest of the world follow.
Ecuadorian President Guillermo Lasso has made a very important announced at the climate summit, COP 26 in Scotland. People were pleased to hear about his plans to expand the marine protections around the iconic Galápagos Islands by a sizeable 23,000 square miles, or what is nearly 15 million acres. This means that ocean animals have much more area to peacefully swim in, without the fear of human activity that could hurt them.
Lasso said that they were going to create a protected swimway from Galápagos that will extend all the way to Costa Rica. This is what an underwater superhighway looks like and it will serve as refuge for a variety of endangered migratory animals. Some of the species that will benefit greatly from this move are scalloped hammerhead sharks, whale sharks, rays, sea turtles, and tuna, to name a few.
This so-called swimway will serve to connect with Cocos Islands National Park. This is a UNESCO World Heritage Site that’s located off the coast of Costa Rica. Hence, even the sea life found in Costa Rica will gain from this innovative move.
The new marine sanctuary is set to lengthen and enlarge the existing Galápagos Islands reserve by around 45 percent. This is tantamount to protecting a Lake Michigan-sized area of water. The better news is that they already set up a fleet of vigilant men and women who are ready and equipped to police the newly protected area.
In this marine superhighway, those who dabble in Industrial fishing have harvested from this area. What the new protection plan does is galvanize the members of the Galápagos Conservancy. The said organization is a nonprofit who is the prime protector of the endemic giant land tortoises that they’ve studied and bred. Because of their cause, they have also become active in marine conservation programs that spread the word to those around.
The latest news earned a shoutout from Hollywood eco-conscience Leonardo Di Caprio. He commended the Ecuadorian president for his efforts.
“Galápagos Conservancy will continue to fund the Galápagos National Park’s patrol boats to keep industrial fishing out of these precious waters. What’s more, we have groundbreaking new marine projects well underway for 2022, including more grants focused on marine conservation than ever before,” the group spoke in a statement they recently made.
They further said, “We hope that this agreement between Ecuador and Costa Rica will serve as a model for multinational collaboration in marine conservation going forward.”
More Good News to Happen for the Planet
The announcement was made at COP-26. This is also where they shared more good news as a hundred world leaders from promised to reverse deforestation by the year 2030. This was a solemn pledge they made as their contribution. More than a hundred countries also signed a pledge. They promised to reduce their methane emissions by 30 percent by the same year. In fact, the U.S. leaders committed to a 50 percent reduction of the ultra-potent greenhouse gas. They target the end of the decade to make this vow a reality.
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