Mass tourism reaches Galpagos

Level 2 Intermediate

1 Key words

Fill the gaps using these key words from the text.

alarm conservationist enigma campaigner swarm

ecosystem cruise pest mainland graffiti

1. A ____________ is a journey on a ship for pleasure, usually involving visiting several places.

2. A ____________ is someone who works to prevent damage to the environment.

3. A ____________ is someone who is involved in a series of actions for a political or social cause.

4. An ____________ is all the plants and animals in a particular area that depend on one another.

5. Words or pictures drawn on walls in public places are called ____________.

6. If there is ____________ about something, there is a lot of fear or worry that something unpleasant or negative

will happen.

7. A ____________ is a very large group of flying insects.

8. The ____________ is the large mass of land that forms the main part of a country and does not include

any islands.

9. An ____________ is something that is mysterious and difficult to understand.

10. A ____________ is an insect or small animal that damages plants or supplies of food.

2 Find the information

Look in the text and find this information as quickly as possible.

1. Which country do the Galpagos Islands belong to?

2. How many people visit the islands each year?

3. What was the increase in sales for local businesses when the cruise ship first visited the islands?

4. How far are the Galpagos from the mainland?

5. How far is San Cristbal from Santa Fe?

6. How many passengers will arrive on the next cruise ship?

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Mass tourism reaches Galpagos
Level 2 Intermediate
A rat, insects and litter: delights of
mass tourism reach Galpagos
David Adam, environment correspondent
January 10, 2007
The Galpagos Islands lie in the Pacific Ocean
almost 1,000 km west of the coast of Ecuador. As
a result of their geographical isolation, the islands
have unique forms of wildlife and do not have
wildlife found in other parts of the world. Rats, for
example. Now a rat has been found on the island
of Santa Fe, causing concern and alarm among
the conservationists who are trying to prevent
foreign wildlife reaching the islands.
It is alleged that the rat arrived on the MV
Discovery, a giant British cruise liner that visited
the islands in April. Today, the ship is due to
return to the Galpagos. There are 460 paying
passengers on the ship. It will be met with
protests and a campaign to protect the islands
from such mass tourism.
Voyages of Discovery, the company that owns
the ship, promises visitors to the islands: The
enigmas, secrets and charms of this spectacular
and rich landscape are, like a dream, an
adventure just waiting to be discovered. But the
ships arrival is a nightmare for environmental
campaigners. Conservationists on the Galpagos
have also found swarms of foreign insects on the
islands since the ships last visit and are worried
that when it returns it could introduce more
foreign species that might do further damage to
the sensitive ecosystems.
The Discovery, the first large cruise ship to have
visited the islands, is scheduled to return again
in April and then twice a year after that. The
islands belong to Ecuador and the Ecuadorian
government has granted permits that could mean
that one cruise ship stops there every month.
Leonor Stjepic, director of the Galpagos
Conservation Trust, warned that such an
increase in visitor numbers would make it very
difficult for conservationists to keep out pests
and disease. The more people that come, the
Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2007
NEWS LESSONS / Mass tourism reaches Galpagos / Intermediate
greater the risk of foreign species. It is almost
impossible to search a boat that size thoroughly.
These large numbers mean its much easier for
something to slip through our controls. And if we
cant protect the Galpagos then what does it say
about the other natural spaces in the world?
The Galpagos are not suitable for this kind of
mass tourism. Were not being elitist: the islands
simply do not have the infrastructure for that
number of people. Were not anti-tourism, but its
got to be high-value, low-volume tourism. Before
the visit of the Discovery, almost all visitors to the
islands flew direct from the mainland. This cruise
ship has travelled all the way down the coast of
South America and could bring all sorts of things
with it, Ms Stjepic said.
As well as the rat, and the insects,
environmentalists say the Discoverys last visit
left the islands covered in litter, dropped by
wealthy tourists who have no idea where they
are or the impact their visit may have. Someone
even wrote graffiti at the visitor centre and one
passenger reportedly asked where the local
Starbucks was.
The study of the impact of the liners first visit
was carried out by the local Charles Darwin
Foundation and the Galpagos National Park
Service. As well as the foreign wildlife, it found
that sales for local businesses increased by 5%,
a third of what was expected. There were too
many visitors for the local infrastructure, they
said, and local tour operators, who take visitors
around the different islands, had to land large
boats on fragile beaches because elderly cruise
passengers were unable to get in and out of
rubber dinghies.
However, David Yellow, managing director of
Voyages of Discovery, said the campaigners
were speaking from ignorance. He said the
firm operated under strict restrictions and carried
out a detailed environmental impact study
before it received its licence to operate in the
Galpagos. We are experienced at operating
in environmentally sensitive areas and we know
what to do. All our people [passengers] are
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Mass tourism reaches Galpagos
Level 2 Intermediate
given a lecture before they go ashore and we
know they obey the instructions. The Discovery
anchored at the island of San Cristbal during
its stay, he said, at least 25 miles from Santa Fe
where the rat was found.

Mr Yellow said there was no proof that the

graffiti and litter were left by Discovery tourists.
Local people also make litter. They are not as
sensitive to the environment as the people we
take there. There are local people who smoke a
cigarette and throw it into the street. Attracted
by the unique wildlife and mystique, the number
of visitors to the islands each year has increased
from about 40,000 in the late 1980s to more than
100,000 now.

Guardian News & Media 2007

First published in The Guardian, 10/1/07

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NEWS LESSONS / Mass tourism reaches Galpagos / Intermediate

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Mass tourism reaches Galpagos
Level 2 Intermediate

3 Comprehension check
Are these sentences True or False according to the text?

1. Conservationists believe that the rat arrived on the cruise ship.

2. Cruise ship tourists have brought an economic boom to the islands.

3. Conservationists are worried that the cruise ships will bring more foreign species to the islands.

4. The Discovery will visit the islands once a month.

5. All the visitors are well informed about the islands.

6. The Galpagos are suitable for mass tourism.

7. Ships need permits to visit the islands.

8. All visitors to the islands fly direct from the mainland.

4 Vocabulary 1: Find the word

Look in the text and find these words or phrases.

1. A verb meaning to say that something is true even though it has not been proved. (para 2)

2. An adjective meaning extremely impressive. (para 3)

3. An adverb meaning very carefully so that nothing is missed. (para 5)

4. A two-word verb meaning to pass without being noticed. (para 5)

5. An adjective meaning believing that a small group of people should keep the most power and influence. (para 6)

6. An adjective meaning rich. (para 7)

7. An adjective meaning easily damaged or broken. (para 8)

8. A noun meaning an attractive quality that something has because it seems mysterious in an exciting

way. (para 10)

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NEWS LESSONS / Mass tourism reaches Galpagos / Intermediate

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Mass tourism reaches Galpagos
Level 2 Intermediate

5 Vocabulary 2: Verb + noun collocations

Match the verbs in the left-hand column with the nouns in the right-hand column.

1. cause a. litter

2. do b. a lecture

3. grant c. a study

4. drop d. concern

5. have e. graffiti

6. write f. damage

7. carry out g. a permit

8. give h. an impact

6 Vocabulary 3: Prepositions

Which prepositions follow these words and expressions? Check your answers in the text.

1. as a result _______

2. due _______

3. protect _______

4. damage _______
5. belong _______

6. suitable _______

7. covered _______

8. sensitive _______

7 Discussion

What problems can mass tourism cause? Should tourism be restricted to protect the environment?
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NEWS LESSONS / Mass tourism reaches Galpagos / Intermediate

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