GALAPAGOS (26 Jan 2001) -- Wind and currents are pushing a 1,200 sq km oil slick away from the archipelago helping to limit damage to wildlife, much of which is unique to the Galapagos. Environmentalists fear that many endangered and endemic species could be wiped out if the oil washes up onto island beaches. Although most of the 1.1 million liters of diesel have already spilled into the sea, efforts are continuing to refloat the oil tanker that grounded on a reef as it was entering the main port of San Cristobal Island. The captain of the vessel has admitted that his navigational mistake caused the accident. The Ecuadorian government has called for a review of shipping regulations and Environment Minister, Rodolfo Rendon, said that all tankers should be required to have double hulls. Environmentalists warned that while immediate damage to fragile habitats has been minimal, the spill could have a deep and lasting impact. The long-term danger of the accident, said Galapagos National Park biologist Mauricio Velasquez, was that the fuel would sink to the ocean floor, destroying algae that is vital to the food chain. "All species, marine and coastal in the Galapagos Islands could be affected if there are changes in the food chain," said Peter Kramer of the World Wildlife Fund. | | Minimal damage to unique wildlife??? Peter Kramer of the World Wildlife Fund warned that damages in the food chain in the region's sensitive ecosystem could affect the extremely vulnerable Galapagos Penguin, the world's smallest penguin species. The WWF has also called for limits to shipping in the archipelago by designating the waters around the Galapagos as a particularly sensitive sea area (PSSAs). PSSAs are internationally designated areas recognized by the shipping community as areas that need to be protected because of their ecological, economic, cultural or scientific significance. © CDNN - CYBER DIVER NEWS NETWORK |
