The Galapagos natural assets make human development possible. In the case of stone resources, this fact is particularly visible. Sometimes, the removal regulations are not respected, thus damaging the Galapagos natural areas and going against the common interest of the population.

According to the volume of extraction that has been compared since the year 2005 in the Directorate of the Galapagos National Park's data base, the amount of stone resource extraction is increasing every year.

"	At the moment, the extraction of stone material is not environmentally sustainable."

Most mines are within National Park areas (except for the two mines on San Cristóbal, which are in inhabited areas and belong to the Navy), which is why the Directorate of the Galapagos National Park is the institution responsible for managing its use.

	The "Granillo Rojo" Mine is the largest on Santa Cruz Island.

Part of the work is to conduct periodic inspections of the mines and of the transportation of material, to ensure that the users have the necessary permissions, and to prevent the extraction of material from unauthorized areas.

In 2008, 2,260 verifications of rock material extraction permits were performed.

The amount of material extracted is also recorded. In 2008 on Santa Cruz, the volumes extracted were: sand 24,260 m³, granule 61,211 m³, filling stone 9,015 m³ and gravel 356 m³.

Additionally, a monthly average of 61 people were registered who worked in the mines, including drivers, operators, and assistants.

Monitoring results

Extraction corresponds to cyclic periods of construction, which adhere to specific events in human development on Santa Cruz.

In 1999 much granule was used for the pavement of the Puerto Ayora Canal de Itabaca Road.

Then, three marked peaks can be seen around the years 2001, 2004, and 2007.

The first corresponds to the construction of homes in the new neighborhood of "La Cascada", north of the village of Puerto Ayora. The huge increase in the extraction of gravel was due to the creation of streets in this new neighborhood, in distinctly rocky terrain.

The second peak was due to a second wave of construction in "La Cascada", but also basically to the complete rebuilding of the road to Baltra, which crosses the entire island from north to south.

The third increase in extractive activity was due to the increase in salaries for civil servants, an increase that sparked a wave of construction within the town as well as in the high area.

New neighborhood: "El Mirador"

	Puerto Ayora expands to nearly double its size.

Puerto Ayora will expand to nearly double its size after the exchange in 2008 between the Directorate of the Galapagos National Park and the Municipality of Santa Cruz, of a 70 hectare area of the National Park for 100 hectares of land in the rural part of the Island.

It would be expected that, after a lull in 2009, starting in 2010 and with the recovery of the global economy and increased tourism, the next wave of extraction for construction may come.