Activists make the case that bigger is better to protect Galápagos reserve
by Elizabeth Claire Alberts on 29 January 2021
A group of scientists, conservationists and NGOs are campaigning to expand the current Galápagos Marine Reserve to protect an additional 445,953 square kilometers (172,183 square miles) in the exclusive economic zone of the Galápagos Islands.
According to a scientific proposal, the marine reserve expansion would help protect threatened migratory species, deter unsustainable and illegal fishing practices, and even bolster the legal Ecuadoran fishing industries.
While the proposal has garnered both national and international support, Ecuador’s fishing sector is largely opposed to the expansion of the reserve.