With many pros and cons to both tourism, and ecotourism, there are many steps to restore habitats that have been destroyed, due to the cause of many destructive acts of visitors, or even small acts that have compiled to become an avalanche of disaster. Although, was all this effort necessary? If no tourism ever existed, the Galapagos Islands would still be a tranquil, full-of-life, archipelago. An unquestionably beneficial step that we can make is that tourism should be stopped, and ecotourism to be encouraged, since uncaring visitors spoil the natural habitats of the Galapagos Islands.

For one thing, tourists pollute the air and water of the Galapagos Islands in many ways. Imagine leaving your house, and to get somewhere, what do you need? You need transportation. Inevitably, the tourists of the Galapagos Islands would need some form of transportation: boats, cars, planes. All of these vehicles use some sort of fuel, which then releases carbon dioxide. Therefore, the air quality lessens. Next, some visitors litter on the floor and beaches. Not only that, but tourists also litter in waterways and natural lands. If some of this trash were to be carried into the water, animals could accidentally eat it, mistake it as food, or even get entangled by it, it would then get choked. Tourism in the Galapagos Islands would allow this to continue, and the water and air of the Galapagos Islands would eventually become inhabitable at this rate.

Tourism can also lead to species becoming endangered or even extinct. As stated on (http://www.economist.com/node/1224408), “So far, the Galapagos has kept 95%,” which I daresay is a good thing, “compared with just 50% in Hawaii. But how long can that continue?” Even though there are some restoration centers already maintaining some of the species, but as it said, “How long can that continue?” In addition to species becoming smaller in numbers, but some new organisms are also introduced. Some came on boats, while others came on planes. Many animals were brought to the islands, like bugs, dogs, and rats, and all of these can either bring diseases, eat away the island, or mess up the food chain. The diseases are harmful since some of the animals indigenous to the Galapagos are not immune to these diseases so it will kill some of them. Overall, the survival of many species is on the line if tourism were to remain to be not eco-friendly.

Another strong concern is the destruction of some natural habitats. With the idea of tourism, inevitably, people would need somewhere to sleep, let alone visit, so more land would either be destroyed, or be modified to be a living condition. The destruction of habitats is also caused by pollution, which can affect the air, which in turn would affect plant-life. In addition to that, there are also too many tourists. As stated in the Seattle Times (http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/nationworld/2008246694_ galapagos10.html) the amount of tourists was nearly “triple” of what they found the limit to be. Last, if this were to continue, the abundance of exotic creatures can become scarce.

With any controversy over whether tourism in the Galapagos Islands is good or bad, inevitably tourism should be stopped since visitors spoil the natural habitats of the Galapagos Islands in numerous ways such as polluting the air and water, causing species to become smaller in numbers, and altering the land. All these things would then compile, and become big trouble not only as the focus as the Galapagos Islands, but also many other vacation spots. As a comeback for the islands, ecotourism should also be acknowledged, and let the fun begin.