Tourism pressure is endangering Galapagos Islands

ECUADOR says tourism is threatening the Galapagos Islands and has asked Unesco to add the habitat that inspired the theory of evolution to its endangered list, the culture agency said yesterday.

The UN agency’s World Heritage Committee will consider Ecuador’s request at a week-long meeting that begins in New Zealand today, chairman Tumu te Heuheu said.

The Galapagos Islands, about 620 miles off Ecuador’s Pacific coast, are home to unique animal species that inspired Charles Darwin’s ideas on evolution. They are also Ecuador’s top tourist attraction.