Galapagos Islands Oil Spill May pose Threats to the Diversified and Unique Wildlife of the Islands
(Photo : Reuters)

The Galapagos Islands contain the most diversified level of species in the whole world.

A ship that contained six hundred gallons of diesel fuel had sunk on Sunday in the Islands of the Galapagos. This incident had sparked worldwide concerns regarding the incident's effect on the wildlife in the area. The officials of Ecuador had also expressed their concern regarding the matter and are in the process of implementing emergency deeds to maintain the spread of the spill in the ocean.

According to DW (a German media specialist) after citing media in the local area, a crane had accidentally fallen into an oil deposit in a San Cristobal Island port last Sunday. The Galapagos island oil spill had failed to stabilize the vessel had caused it to sink in the sea.

There were no casualties on the said incident, said DW. The crew members of the ship had jumped to the ocean to save their life before the ship sank. There was one incident of an injured person in the accident.

According to a public statement from the presidential communications office of Ecuador, the incident is under controls. The actions needed to prevent further damage and the spread of the spill are acted on promptly and devotedly by the authorities and its constituents.

According to a social media post by the Galapagos National Park on the afternoon of Sunday last week, the Ecuadorian authorities are cooperating with the Navy of Ecuador. The two forces are partnering to install containment barriers and high absorbent cloths to prevent the spread of the spill and reduce the threat of the sunk Orca Barged to the environment.

According to SOS Galapagos, an advocacy group in the local of Ecuador, the unlawful and hazardous operations performed in the area should be relocated to a different site. The spill of oils and fuels from the Galapagos island oil spill accident may reach Mann beach. Mann beach is the sole beach in the urban site of Puerto Baquerizo. 

The Galapagos Islands are part of the country of Ecuador. It is recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage site. It is known globally to own a special role in the research of Charles Darwin and his creation of the evolution theory. There are more than a hundred islands in the Galapagos Islands and the ecosystem there is very fragile.

According to the Galapagos Conservancy, the Galapagos Islands is the home of some of the largest levels of endemism which are the species only found on the island and nowhere else in the world. Eighty percent of the birds, ninety-seven percent of the mammals and reptiles, and more than thirty percent of the vegetation in the Galapagos Islands are endemic. More than twenty percent of the marine animals on the island can only be found in the area.

The species that are endemic in the Galapagos Islands include the Large Galapagos tortoise, iguana, and a multitude of bird species. 

According to a report regarding the recent Galapagos island oil spill incident, San Cristobal is home to sea lions, large tortoises, and finches. It is also an area of beautiful beaches. Travelers are asked to abide by the rules in the area for the protection and preservation of the wildlife in the area.