To:jcoronel@mae.

gov (Ministerio del Ambiente, Ecuador)

From: mwdacus@gc.net (The Galapagos Conservancy)
Subject: Fiscal Projection Concerns with UNESCO Extension of Galapagos Biosphere
Date: July 31, 2XXX

Dear Señora Coronel,

As director of Ministry of the Environment in Ecuador, you are probably aware that the United Nations
Education, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) recently approved legislation that expanded
the Galapagos Biosphere Reserve size from 772,000 hectares to over 14.6 million hectares over this past
year. The Galapagos Biosphere Reserve area has remained unchanged over the past several decades, and
such a dramatic change is relatively unprecedented with the Islands. While we certainly see this as a win
for environmental conservation for both government and activist organizations, we are also concerned
about fiscal and resource support to sustain a much bigger protective area. The last thing that our
organization wants to see is insufficient funding, which could potential lead to lack of enforcement and
recognition of possible illegal activities.

UN Involvement in the Galapagos

After discussion with several other Galapagos Islands-focused environmental organizations around the
world, including the World Wildlife Fund, The Charles Darwin Foundation, and our United Kingdom
offices, we believe that declaring the Galapagos Islands a “United Nations Environmental Controlled
Zone” would greatly benefit various offices within the Ecuadorian government, including your group. By
establishing this title, the Galapagos Islands would be environmentally protected by the United Nations,
and therefore open to larger fiscal backing. This would also alleviate the Ecuadorian government’s overall
financial burden on the Islands. From a geographical perspective, the Galapagos’ location in the Pacific
Ocean not only effects the Ecuadorian mainland’s coastal ecosystem, but all Pacific-facing countries in
the American hemisphere. Placing the Galapagos within the United Nations allows other Latin and South
American countries to support the Islands’ unique and diverse ecosystems. As a result, it is quite possible
that related non-governmental organizations (NGO’s) and foreign investors could be interested to support
this effort, in exchange for the sustainability of the tourism industry.

How You Can Help

In order to support this effort, the Galapagos Conservancy is requesting a recommendation letter from
your office in order to meet and be interviewed by UNESCO officials in New York City. We want to
some of the topics discussed in this email to also be addressed so that UN officials gets a better
understanding what the Galapagos Islands “environmentally” mean to the planet. Even though we are a
non-governmental organization, our objective is solely “dedicated exclusively to the long-term
protection of the Galapagos Islands,” and we hope that you will join us in continuing that goal.

Thank You,

Michael Dacus
Programs Manager of Wildlife Enforcement
The Galapagos Conservancy