Players Section

Players Section:
There are still questions to be answered, especially about coalitions and such. Maybe some of that will be answered by Irma, or else not until a later date. We may have to just state that we're still working on it. See you all at 11.


The Galapagos Islands are a unique entity, unlike any other in the world. As the islands were not home to any human settlements everyone that now lives on the island is an immigrant. However, there seems to be a clear distinction between Galapagueños who have lived on the islands for many decades and those more recent immigrants. As the Galapagos population exploded in the 1980s, 90s and 2000s, money became the primary motivator for new settlement. Previously, life on the Galapagos had been difficult, as the islands are extremely remote and lacking in many of the luxuries in life. Those who settled there before often enjoyed the ruggedness and wildness that the islands had to offer. This distinction is important to note, as the limited resources of the islands become depleted, there are different ideas about what should be done. In terms of pollution, many of these immigrants have brought with them non-native species, such as dogs, that have had a profound effect on local lizards. Also, with all these people comes trash. There is no place for trash to go on the Galapagos, as is evident by the trash strewn about the island and in the ocean.
There are several important players in the islands. The local government, including the mayors, holds a large amount of sway over the actions taken in their respective towns. The Galapagos governor is the key federal authority on the islands. The President of Ecuador, Rafael Correa, of course has some authority on the islands. In addition, there are local groups that wield power, such as the fisherman, tour boat operators and the Navy. It still needs to be determined exactly where each group falls in terms of their position to a particular issue. President Correa has recently pledged to make the islands Fossil Fuel free by 2015, so we hope that his intentions are true. When it comes down to it, each group will look after their own best interests, thus it is important to frame the conversation in a way in which their interests are addressed in a positive way for them and the environment.