The Directorate of the Galapagos National Park has operated a system of continuous monitoring of terrestrial visitor sites since 2000. The monitoring has become increasingly more sophisticated over the years to ensure adequate management of the impact of tourism in natural protected areas of Galapagos.

	Plotting a reference line for measuring the erosion of the trail.

In 2008, as an integrated element of the Visitor Management System, the process of tourist monitoring was restructured, redefining some of the original indicators for monitoring, proposed in 2000.

As before, this process of tourist monitoring serves as indicators; physical, biological and for social quality of the visit; social and for management.

Unlike before, these indicators includes those responsible and frequency of monitoring, and have been developed to include the categories of management for the new zoning structure, as well as standard parameters or acceptable limit values:

Table of tourist monitoring indicators (2008).

Table of detailed tourist monitoring indicators (2008).

For more details see:

• Second Progress Report on Advice and Implementation of Actions and Tools for the Management of Terrestrial and Marine Visitor Sites of the Galapagos National Park, "Monitoring Report" (PDF, 3.1 Mb)

This study was conducted in 2008 by the Institute for Applied Ecology at the University of San Francisco, Quito (ECOLAP) for the Directorate of the Galapagos National Park.

Monitoring indicators for terrestrial visitor sites:

Erosion

In accordance with the condition of the slope, substrate and intensity of use, erosion of a visitor site is more or less, but always occurs to some extent. Monitoring is crucial to prevent erosion, but also for deciding when to make management decisions such as for building infrastructures.

Trail width

	Port Egas, 2008. The width of the trail is the second monitor indicator.

When the degradation of a trail has been detected, due to trampling outside the limits, we say that there has been a widening of the trail and this is an indicator of failure to comply with basic standards of conduct in protected areas.

There is no specific measure for the ideal width of all trails. Each visitor site presents conditions, physical and for visiting, that should be considered particularly in defining the width of the path, which is ultimately the standard of comparison between reality and the management decision.

Compaction: formation of channels and crevices

	Tagus Cove, 2008. Although this is a natural phenomenon, the action of trampling compacts the soil, reducing the rate of infiltration, which increases the process of creating crevices and canals.

The formation of canals and crevices in trails is a problem identified in visitor sites whose substrate has a brittle texture of non-compact volcanic ash, low in organic matter and covered in shrubbery isolated or scattered, with little or no supportive capacity.

Usually present in sections of the trail with slope where the flow of rainwater concentrates and acts to erode and drag soil material.

When a crevice or canal runs along a path, this offers a scenically degraded and altered appearance for the perception of naturalness that visitors expect.

The characteristics of such substrates and its high vulnerability to degradation motivated by a more or less intense use, determines its classification within a management category that by sacrificing some loss of naturalness, accept the intervention measures to avoid, minimize or restore, the occurrence of this phenomenon.

The presence of canals or crevices is not only an aspect of landscape degradation but also of safety.

Vegetation coverage

	South Plazas, 2008. Cliff sites are more vulnerable to this type of aggression from visitors who, motivated by curiosity, walk out of the path or disperse from the area of interpretation, affecting the growth of vegetation typical of these environments.

The objective of this indicator is to identify the same issues as the widening of trails.

The fundamental difference is that this affects areas of interpretation more than the trail or surrounding boundaries.

The acceptability of this phenomenon lies in the importance of the affected element, both in terms of conservation status and the degree of attraction that is within the visits resources of interpretation.

The role of guides in the control and awareness of visitors is paramount to avoid such impacts and aggressive actions against the naturalness of the sites.

Pollution: trash, graffiti and fire

It is rare to find garbage of any kind at the visitor sites with waterway access, with a few exceptions in that these sites coincide with fishing camps, where the work done generates solid waste which is dumped in the same place.

Normally, naturalist guides, visitors and operators are careful to avoid generating waste at visitor sites. This attitude denotes a certain awareness about the impact on the landscape that is generated by the presence of garbage on a site marked for tourism.

However, in places like Gardner Bay it is becoming common to find bits of food on the beach and the remains of human waste at the entrances covered by vegetation.

The presence of organic matter at the site appears to be associated with the behavior of Nesominus macdonaldi (Cucuves in Spanish) against the human presence, which reveals a habit as a consequence of food given by visiting groups, conduct strictly prohibited.

This behavior in wild animals is a loss of naturalness that visitors could perceive as unsatisfactory; not corresponding to the category of the visitor site and space in general, they are visiting.

Do not confuse the experience in a place like Gardner Bay, completely natural where human intervention is imperceptible, with a zoo, breeding center or interpretive center, where it is expected and accepted to find certain effects of human activity on the environment and resources.

Graffiti, with the exception of Tagus Cove, is associated with land access to places close to the population and with little control by the management authority (trail to las Tijeretas, Las Grietas, etc.). 

Fires are found in places that are traditionally used as a fishing camp (Playa Ochoa, Punta Albemarle, etc) but also in recreational areas, which are usually used by families of local people (Manglecito, Playa del Amor, etc).

The presence of introduced species

Visitor sites act to illustrate the presence or level of distribution of introduced species. The report on introduced species, even within the limits of the technical capacity of the tourism management process, is a management strength throughout the protected area of the GNP, as visitor sites represent a sample of what happens in other areas where control and monitoring are smaller and therefore more difficult to detect these species.

Measurement of this indicator is the responsibility of the Tourist Management Process and the Eradication Process of Introduced Species of the Directorate of the Galapagos National Park, for affecting the quality of visitors' experience.

Diversity of biological attractions

The reason for this indicator is to determine the degree of biological attraction that a visitor site has.

	Punta Espinoza, 2008.

They are usually of biological resources, specifically fauna, and the main elements of the visit, around which are clustered interpretation and visitor interest.

The variables that affect the distribution, behavior and survival of a species are diverse and difficult to relate to tourism. Nevertheless, on precautionary principle, and in addition to other factors that play a leading role in tourism activities and are considered in this tourist monitoring process, the abundance and diversity of those species are considered key within tourist activities.

Dynamics of the visit: Number of encounters

The reason for this indicator is to determine the degree of biological attraction that a visitor site has.

This indicator is the first social indicator that allows us to assess the effects of tourist activities and quality on a visitor's experience. 

The degree of solitude that a visitor perceives when visiting a visitor site, especially those less accessible, is what determines their satisfaction and therefore it is, the degree of crowding experienced by the visitor.

A model of tourism based on "nature tourism" as established in the current Management Plan for the Directorate of the Galapagos National Park, must ensure, if not a permanent sense of solitude throughout the protected area, at least the opportunity to experience it in different places.

Conduct at visitor sites and the occurrence of accidents

It is important that naturalist guides report all detected irregular practices at visitor sites for the record and the DGNP's knowledge, who may undertake any legal action and any measures deemed appropriate within the jurisdiction of the institution against those who break the rules and codes of conduct established for the use and visit to public use places of protected areas.

Likewise, reports of accidents which occur during an activity, be it on land or sea, must be registered with the tourist administration process so as to take appropriate measures aimed at preventing its recurrence.

State of the tourist infrastructure

This is the only indicator used to assess the state of the infrastructure present at visitor sites. Considered infrastructure; any factors external to the site that has been introduced by the DGNP in order to protect its resources, focus tourism activities or facilitate access from walkways, handrails, stairs and docks to landmarks, signs, grills, benches for shade...

Monitoring tourism is the main tool for detecting these problems and the subsequent analysis; the tool to decide which infrastructure is to be used.

This program has been supported by:

Applied Ecology Institute of the San Francisco University of Quito.

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Source: Second Progress Report on Advice and Implementation of Actions and Tools for the Management of Terrestrial and Marine Visitor Sites of the Galapagos National Park, "Monitoring Report" (PDF, 3.1 Mb)