Maintaining the boundary between inhabited areas and natural protected areas is of vital importance in preventing invasions. Once a year, these 167 km are monitored and cleared.

The Galapagos National Park's boundaries and the corresponding boundaries of the settled area were definitively set, according to Ministerial Agreement No. 0297, Official Gazette No.15 of August 31 1979.

An area of 26,282.3 hectares of land occupied by settlers was excluded from the Galapagos National Park, this land was awarded by the Ecuadorian Institute for Agrarian Reform and Colonization.

	The placement of landmarks allows the establishment of boundaries between protected areas and populated areas.

In order to define boundaries, a perimeter that covers all the urban and rural colonized areas was drawn. This perimeter serves as the boundary of the Galapagos National Park. Approximately 1.500 georeferenced landmarks were placed on the entire perimeter.

The GNP boundaries have an approximate length of 167 km corresponding to the islands of San Cristóbal, Santa Cruz, Isabela, and Floreana.

Perimeter maintenance takes place once a year. The work consists of clearing all vegetation growing on the boundary, for which people from the local community are hired. This allows easy access around the perimeter during patrols and prevents invasions into areas of the Park.

On Santa Cruz the 576 landmarks established on the limits of the agricultural and urban areas are verified, a length of 64 kilometers.