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The AGM business was completed very quickly, and we were then able to enjoy Tui de Roy’s presentation.  Tui talked about how she came to be in the Galapagos, and her perspectives as a wildlife photographer, with the talk illustrated by her world-class photos.

Those present had a chance to purchase signed copies of her latest book, ‘Galapagos, Preserving Darwin’s Legacy’. We are now offering this book and others for sale. A flyer will go out with our newsletter this week and we hope to have them for sale via the website in the hear future. 

A highlight for the year was the completion of Peter Hiemstra’s volunteer work in the Galapagos.  Peter was supported by FOGNZ and the Hamish Saunders Memorial Foundation, and worked as a database expert for the Charles Darwin Research Station. His original three month stint as a volunteer was extended by a contract from the station - clear proof of the value they placed on his work.  Working with partners to support the involvement of New Zealanders in Galapagos conservation work is a vital role that we can play.

But to continue to play that and other roles, we need to maintain the organisation.  Our current members are the mainstay of the organisation, but if we are to increase our work we also need to increase our membership. So please encourage your friends to join.

The report on administrative matters was positive, with Cathy continuing to provide excellent service, and our website constantly improving.

At the AGM, Tui suggested that we think about focusing New Zealand’s contribution to Floreana on the land snails of the island.  While it is the speciation processes of finches that have gained the most public recognition (due to the work of Darwin and David Lack’s book), it is the land snails that show the most species-rich radiation of any group on the island.  There are 80 species of small land snails living all over the islands - from the desert-like lowlands to the tropical highlands. Each is a different shape, size and colour, and many are starting to disappear. 

Tui explained that the key threat to the snails on Floreana is introduced species, and in the areas where pest control has been undertaken to protect the Mockingbird (supported by your contributions), there has been an amazing recovery of snails as well.

The idea of a New Zealand focus on supporting pest control to protect critical snail populations was well received by the AGM - it would give a clear focus for our contributions, and would involve us in an area of work that New Zealand has good expertise in.  Julian will be discussing this idea with the National Park Authority when he visits Galapagos again later this year, and the committee will consider it further when he reports back.  Any thoughts from members very welcome.

As just one example, the lobster fishing season started in August, and by the time the 160 day season finishes many tonnes of these animals will have been removed from the reserve (the quota for red lobster is 30 tonnes of tails, but there is no quota limit for green lobster). Managing the fishery is a major task for the national parks authority - inspecting catches to ensure no under-size or egg-carrying lobsters are taken; intercepting illegal exports, and intercepting unauthorised fishing operations.

They hope that these activities will make the fishery sustainable, but the removal in bulk of one component of the ecosystem will undoubtedly have significant effects on the overall integrity of the system.  One of the major lessons from New Zealand’s marine reserve network is that we don’t really know what we are doing to the marine environment until we establish “no-take” reserves.  The first of these at Leigh experienced major changes in vegetation patterns that were completely unexpected - no-one had realised how great an effect removing the predators of kina (e.g. snapper) was having on the overall system.  I have seen urchin barrens in the Galapagos that look very like what Leigh had before the reserve was established - are those natural or the effect of fishing? 

The community in the Galapagos, and internationally, is focused on the obviously unsustainable illegal fishing - shark finning, over-harvest of sea cucumbers, etc.  But there is little useful discussion about the effect of “sustainable” fishing.  And the Ecuadorian authorities are reluctant to question fishing per se.  Local fishermen have been prepared to use extreme tactics to fight any controls on their activities - barricading the park/station area; assaulting senior park managers, threatening with firearms, etc - and the police and military have let them get away with it. The result is that a culture of entitlement has built up. The National Park Authority recently “compensated” fishermen for the closing of the sea cucumber season by providing them with work cleaning up beaches.  The clean-up programme is probably positive, but the use of the term “compensation” is not.  It is yet another symptom of the entitlement culture.

Add to that the increase in investment in fishing infrastructure (e.g. there are now mainland-based mother ships operating in the reserve) and the ability to protect the marine environment in the long term is being steadily eroded.

On a more positive note, scientists have discovered three new coral species, one of which was thought to be extinct, raising hopes that reefs may be more resilient to rising sea temperatures than previously thought.  (For the full report see http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2009/sep/09/coral-new-species-galapagos).  But the experience internationally is that resilience to climate change is far greater in systems that do not also face other human pressures - i.e. within fully protected marine reserves.

This is an issue that needs greater attention by the international community.