- Galápagos National Park and the marine reserve protecting the islands’ surrounding waters welcome 300,000 visitors a year and support sustainable fisheries and tourism jobs for about 30,000 residents.
- The Ecuadorian government restricts the number of visitors accessing each island or dive site daily, and requires each tourist or group to hire a guide to accompany them, ensuring that maximum ecological information is shared and that park rules aimed at protecting the unique flora and fauna are followed.
- Many hundreds of Galápagos residents work year-round in this capacity, like veteran guide Marco Andres Vizcaino Garcia, who Mongabay interviewed about the challenges and opportunities he sees for ecotourism, conservation and research across these iconic islands he calls home.
GALÁPAGOS ISLANDS — Marco Andres Vizcaino Garcia is probably the most qualified naturalist guide a person could hire during their visit to Galápagos National Park and its adjacent marine reserve. Born into a fishing family that’s lived here for generations, he discovered a passion for the unique and fragile ecosystem of the islands at age 15 while working as a volunteer guide at a breeding center for giant tortoises known as “La Galapaguera.”
Through interactions with visitors from around the world, he realized the importance of preserving the islands’ unique flora and fauna for future generations. Inspired to pursue his dream job as a naturalist guide, he left the islands in 2007 to study biology at the ESPOL college on the Ecuadorian mainland, thanks to a full academic scholarship. On his return, he set up a travel agency to promote sustainable tourism in 2013. In 2016, he was selected to participate in the government’s new guide’s course, after which he was recognized with an award for excellence.
Today, Vizcaino works as an official naturalist guide based out of San Cristóbal Island, and recently traveled with a Mongabay team observing the islands’ impressive biodiversity. The following interview has been edited lightly for length.
Mongabay: How tough is it to get the guide certification?
Marco Andres Vizcaino Garcia: Becoming a guide is challenging because the courses are only offered based on the needs of the tourism sector, usually every 10 years, with a limited number of spots — around 140 per course. However, I’m concerned that they’re planning to open courses every five years to favor the economic interests of the major players in the tourism industry on the islands. I estimate there are approximately 800 guides currently in the Galápagos.
Mongabay: Galápagos Marine Reserve and the national park that protects 97% of the islands’ land support sustainable fisheries and tourism for about 30,000 residents and 300,000 annual visitors. Do you think they’re doing a good job of conserving nature while supporting the economy?
Marco Andres Vizcaino Garcia: I believe the islands have a solid system in place that ensures the protection of our ecosystem. By law, every group must be accompanied by a naturalist guide to ensure compliance with environmental protection rules. However, if we really want to protect the Galápagos for future generations, we must limit the number of tourists.
Additionally, we need to ensure the money generated stays on the islands to benefit conservation and local livelihoods, and we must stop foreign companies from gaining control of the tourism industry. The fragility of the ecosystem cannot support the kind of mass tourism seen in other parts of the world, and the protection of the archipelago will be in peril if the local economy doesn’t benefit from tourism with these big companies gradually gaining control of the Galápagos.
Mongabay: How has the ecotourism business, and the islands’ nature, changed during the time you’ve been a guide?
Marco Andres Vizcaino Garcia: In 2017, when I took the guide course, the Galápagos Islands received 240,000 tourists. By 2023, we reached a historic peak of 329,475 tourists, so I’m afraid that what now is an exclusive experience for the environmentally conscious is slowly evolving into a mass-tourism industry.
In the ecotourism business itself, there is a troubling trend towards greenwashing, as operators slap “eco” labels on their tours and accommodations without following the principles of true sustainability — big cruise ships with 100 passengers, for example, whose carbon footprints and waste outputs are enormous compared to smaller ships or land-based options. Over 90% of their crews are also not local people.
Mongabay: How did the COVID-19 pandemic and lockdowns affect the islands’ biodiversity and the human community?
Marco Andres Vizcaino Garcia: For the first time in over 60 years of tourism in the Galápagos, tourism came to a complete halt. During the period when airports were closed and tourism ceased, we witnessed incredible changes in nature. Dolphins were seen entering the bay in Puerto Baquerizo Moreno, likely due to the reduced anthropogenic pressure in visitor sites. Flamingos were observed nesting on Rábida Island for the first time in 20 years. From my personal experience, I also noticed fewer abandoned eggs near the visitor trail in the albatross colony at Punta Suárez on Española Island.
While this pause was a boon for nature, it was catastrophic for the economy. Approximately 80% of the islands’ economy depends on tourism, and during the pandemic, we lost more than 70% of tourism-related income. I was out of work as a guide for over 18 months.
Mongabay: Although the islands have been studied for a very long time, some aspects of their biodiversity are still not well understood. What kinds of species, ecosystem types, or ecological changes do you think need more attention and research?
Marco Andres Vizcaino Garcia: While charismatic species like blue-footed boobies [Sula nebouxii] and giant tortoises [Chelonoidis spp.] attract most of the attention, endemic invertebrates and lesser-known plant species receive far less focus and study. Take the pink iguana [Conolophus marthae] as an example: only in December 2022 were we able to find, for the first time, hatchlings and juveniles of this poorly understood species. Yet these species form the foundation of many ecosystems, and neglecting them could lead to ecosystem collapse.
Another neglected area is deep-sea ecosystems. While much focus has been placed on coastal habitats like mangroves, coral reefs and rocky shores, the deep-sea environments surrounding the islands remain largely unexplored. These areas could harbor species yet to be discovered. I believe we really need a public university for biology- and ecology-focused careers to address these gaps in research.
Mongabay: The removal of invasive species from the islands has helped their biodiversity recover, but some endemic species are still declining. Which species do you think have the most potential to rebound, and which do you worry about?
Marco Andres Vizcaino Garcia: The removal of invasive species like goats and rats has helped some of the Galápagos’ biodiversity recover, but many endemic species are still struggling. Species like the Galápagos giant tortoises and land iguanas have shown good recovery due to conservation efforts, and there is hope for continued improvement. However, species such as the pink iguana remain vulnerable, with small populations and ongoing threats.
I personally hope to see the recovery of the Galápagos petrel [Pterodroma phaeopygia], which has faced a significant decline due to habitat destruction and the spread of invasive plants like blackberry, which has overtaken their nesting areas. The petrel has a strong philopatric behavior, meaning they return to their birthplaces to nest, making them particularly vulnerable to these habitat changes. The Galápagos hawk [Buteo galapagoensis] is another species I hope thrives, as it plays a key role in the ecosystem.
While some species are rebounding, many need continued attention and protection. The goal is for all species to recover, and for the islands’ ecosystem to stabilize for the future.
Guide Marco Vizcaino can be contacted via his Instagram page, here.
Related audio from Mongabay’s podcast: How ecotourism protects marine and terrestrial ecosystems in one of Asia’s major biodiversity hotspots, Raja Ampat, listen here:
See related coverage:
Galápagos waters yield massive deepwater corals in latest biodiversity find
How a group in Ecuador protects 10% of the world’s bird species
Ecuador to boost protection of Galápagos in biggest debt-for-nature deal ever
