Brasilia: UNESCO`s World Heritage Committee
said it has removed Ecuador`s Galapagos Islands from its list of endangered sites, due to Quito`s protective efforts in the
Pacific archipelago.
"By a vote of 14 to five, with one abstention," the committee removed the islands from its endangered environments
list, where it was included in 2007, said Brazil`s Culture
Ministry, which presides over this week`s committee meeting in
Brasilia.
"It`s important to recognise the Ecuadoran government`s
effort in protecting and preserving this heritage site,"
Brazilian Heritage Institute president Luiz Fernando de
Almeida said yesterday in a statement.
Brazil had requested that the Galapagos be removed from
the endangered list.
Located 1,000 kilometres west of Ecuador`s coast, the
Galapagos archipelago of 13 main islands and 17 islets has
been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1978 for its rich
plant and animal life both on land and in the
surrounding sea.
In 2007, the organisation declared the island chain`s
environment endangered due to the increase of tourism and the
introduction of invasive species.
Some 10,000 people, mostly fishermen, live on the
volcanic archipelago, which rose from the Pacific seabed 10
million years ago and became famous when Darwin visited to
conduct research in 1835.
PTI
