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Partners

CDF has a number of partnerships in Galapagos who work together to achieve sustainable development of the archipelago and the surrounding Marine Reserve. 

 The main partners are:

Galapagos National Park Service

GNPS logo - link to GNPS home page CDF has a very close working relationship with the GNPS. The headquarters are situated next door to each other, and staff of both organizations based in Santa Cruz, San Cristobal, and Isabela islands liaise on a daily basis.

The Inter-institutional Management Authority and the Participatory Management Board

The Galapagos Marine Reserve was established in 1998, by the Special Law for Galapagos which established the Inter-Instutional Management Authority (IMA) as the maximum authority for the management of the Reserve by a process of stakeholder participation. This means that the different user groups in Galapagos participate in the mangement of the reserve and have a real investment in the future of the seas surrounding Galapagos. This is in direct contrast to the top-down, externally-led direction that had preceded it. The Galapagos Marine Reserve is recognized worldwide as a model of participatory management. Participatory management has been the main axis of the Charles Darwin Foundation’s strategy to achieve its objectives and mission for the conservation of the Galapagos Marine Reserve (GMR).

The Inter-institutional Management Authority, at the national level, and the Participatory Management Board (PMB), at the local level, are the fora for discussion and decision-making about the management of the GMR. It is in these bodies that the information that is generated by the Marine Department of the CDF is used, discussed, and apportioned, principally centering on fisheries extraction and, to a lesser degree, tourism. The IMA includes representation from the Government of Ecuador (Ministries of Environment, Agriculture and Fisheries, Tourism and Defence), environmental groups (the Ecuadorian Committee for the Protection of the Environment; CEDENMA) and Galapagos stakeholders (tourism and fishing sectors). Its powers are:

  1. Setting up policies for the Galapagos Marine Reserve based on principles of sustainable development and conservation
  2. Approving the Plan for the conservation and sustainable management of the Galapagos Marine Reserve
  3. Monitoring the execution of the Plan
  4. Distributing resources assigned to the Galapagos Marine Reserve and any other income pursuant to management priorities for the Reserve Area
  5. Inviting the participation of public and private institutions when deemed necessary
  6. Approving fishing schedules, volumes, sizes, species and fishing gear allowed in Galapagos, with the advice of the National Fisheries and Fishing Development Council
  7. Authorizing participatory scientific research studies aimed at improving conservation and developing marine fishing policies.

CDF has a permanent advisory role on the IMA.

The Partipatory Management Board

The Participatory Management Board (PMB) is the mechanism through which the users of the Galapagos Marine Reserve are represented, and makes recommendations based on consensus to the IMA, which is responsible for the final decision.

The PMB consists of the following stakeholders:

  • the Galapagos National Park Service (GNPS)
  • the Artisanal Fishing Sector, through a representative elected by the four fishing cooperatives in Galapagos.
  • the Tourism Sector, represented by the President of the Provincial Chamber of Tourism in Galapagos (CAPTURGAL)
  • the Naturalist Guides who accompany tourists visiting Galapagos
  • the Charles Darwin Research Station (CDRS)

The PMB is responsible for consulting locally and making recommendations in the following areas:

  • advising the GNP on matters affecting the GMR
  • evaluating, modifying, and helping to implement the Management Plan
  • integration of terrestrial and marine Management Plans
  • participation in environmental impact assessments affecting the GMR, and making recommendations based on these studies
  • coordinating user participation in the management of the GMR
  • promoting the use of the GMR for educational and scientific purposes
  • designing procedures for considering, and proposing new activities for, the GMR
  • helping to develop laws and regulations affecting the GMR.

The INGALA Council

The Instituto Nacional Galápagos (INGALA) Council determins policies and activities in the Galapagos province. It consists of representatives of the Government of Ecuador, the Province, Municipalities, the Governor of Galapagos, and representatives of the fishing, tourism and agricultural sectors, and the Ecuadorian Committee for the Defense of Nature and the Environment (CEDENMA).

INGALA´s remit covers:

  • approval of general policies for preservation and sustainable development
  • approval of regional planning policies
  • approval of the Regional Plan
  • approval of guidelines for sanitation, waste disposal
  • control of imported vehicles
  • control of environmental pollution
  • management of INGALA operations and staff.

CDF has a permanent advisory role on the INGALA Council.

SESA-SICGAL

The Servicio Ecuatoriano de Sanidad Agropecuaria´s operations in Galapagos are known as SESA-SICGAL.

SESA-SICGAL manages the Galapagos quarantine system with the aim of preventing introduced species from reaching the islands. Inspectors are employed at points of departure and entry in Galapagos and Continental Ecuador, and all freight and luggage entering Galapagos, or being transferred between islands, is checked against a list of prohibited and permitted items.

CDF provides technical advice and training to SESA-SICGAL.