Subject: Galapagos Conservation Trust e-News

From: "Galapagos Conservation Trust" <[email-masked]>
Date: Thu, 08 Jun 2006 14:12:20 +1200

Welcome to the Galapagos Conservation Trust e-News Home  | Membership  | Newsroom  | Conservation projects  | About Us  | Contact Us  Welcome to the Galapagos Conservation Trust's e-newsletter... 8 June, 2006 

Dear Mr Stephens, 

In this edition: 

New Park Director for Galapagos National Park 
Vote online now in the 2006 photographic competition 
Last chance to sponsor a booby for Fathers Day! 
Tickets available for charity management seminar 
Information Management volunteer wanted in Galapagos 
Discover the World Galapagos charter 
New Park Director for Galapagos National Park 

A new Park Director has been appointed for the Galapagos National Park. Raquel Molina took up her role on the 4th May, and is the first woman to run the Galapagos National Park. The following is a recent interview from El Comercio: 
The Park has many challenges including staff shortages, how are you dealing with the shortfall of 60 park wardens?
We don't have enough staff to run the Park, we have to wait the outcome of re-engineering to know how many we need, and this is why we signed the contract with Senres. 
Another challenge is the number of visitors. Will numbers be limited, given that there are now more than 128,000?
The first thing to do is to produce a new study on capacity so as not to exceed limits in the protected areas. The Park has been through a difficult period which has left it weakened; it must make decisions and do the research to allow it to manage the Marine Reserve better. 
The study on the new dive sites is ready. This will open the door to new operating permits which might be worth two million dollars. How to evaluate this?
Studies have been underway since 2001 on how to judge the value of new kinds of tourism. I have met the users of the Marine Reserve and they know that the process will be transparent. 
Do you already know when the new administrative statutes of the Park will come into play?
The acting Director of the Park agreed to put the new regime in place in the first half of this year and we are looking to achieve this. 
Are the fishermen guaranteed to get tourist permits?
The fishermen will get preference but not exclusivity; there are other user groups who also have the right to participate according to Park rules. 
How can it be guaranteed that the licences will stay within the control of the islanders?
We are looking for a legal way to allow the licences to stay in their hands. One of the priorities is to reduce the fishermen's pressure in the Marine Reserve and we will win nothing if we give licences to the fishermen and they sell them to outside business interests. 
What progress has there been in the case against Felipe Trujillo for his threats to the park wardens on Isabela?
They are trying to pretend that they were the victims. The group, which included a naval man, were sport fishing and threatened to take away the Park pilot's licence and kill the warden in charge of the flight. This does not intimidate us. 
Do you not feel subjected to pressure?
I was named Director as the result of a transparent process. I got this job on my own, with plenty of field work experience, I am not political and will not be. My strength is that I work via my principles. Anyone who breaks the rules will receive the same treatment, however important his political or economic influence may be, the law applies to everyone. 

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Vote online now in the 2006 photographic competition 

Voting is now underway for the short listed images in the 2006 Galapagos photographic competition. Once again this year we have had a stunning array of images entered, and would like to take this opportunity to thank everyone who submitted their photographs for consideration. 

You can vote for your favourite by visiting www.gct.org/photo_vote06.html. The thirteen images with the highest number of votes will appear in GCT's 2007 Galapagos calendar. By placing your vote, you will also have the chance to win a signed poster of a Tui De Roy image, whose wonderful photographs will be familiar to many who have been to Galapagos. 

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Last chance to sponsor a booby for Fathers Day! 

GCT have the perfect gift for Fathers Day this year - sponsor a booby for a minimum donation of £30, and we will send your father a special Red Footed Boobies or Blue Footed Boobies silk tie. He will also receive a specially personalised letter confirming that a donation has been made on his behalf to help some of the unique birdlife of Galapagos. 

For further information, visit www.gct.org/fathersday.html, or contact Catherine in the GCT office by emailing [email-masked] or phoning 020 7629 5049. 

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Tickets available for charity management seminar 

GCT's very own Executive Director, Leonor Stjepic, will be speaking at a seminar entitled "Not for Profit? The Art of Managing in changing and challenging environments", on the 5th July. Also speaking will be Professor Paul Palmer, Professor of Voluntary Sector Management at Cass Business School. 

In this joint event, Professor Paul Palmer, a GCT supporter, will talk about the issues, trends and latest thinking in voluntary sector management and the contrast with commercial practice, for example in governance, relationships and opportunities for staff. Leonor will provide a leadership perspective - how she approaches running a high-profile charity in a challenging environment. Leonor will talk about the issues involved raising funds and creating awareness of the Galapagos Islands' conservation needs, and how GCT promotes change despite the differences in distance, social and working culture. 

For further information visit www.gct.org/events2.html or contact Abigail on [email-masked] or 0207 629 5049. 

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Information Management volunteer wanted in Galapagos 

The Charles Darwin Foundation is currently seeking a volunteer for Information Management activities to work in the Charles Darwin Research Station (CDRS) in the Galapagos Islands. The Information Management volunteer will develop and implement an Information Management Plan for their science, communication and technical assistance programmes. The ideal candidate will have expertise in several of the following areas: Data Management, Geographic Information Systems, and Relational Database Development, Metadata Production, and Data Quality Control/Quality Assurance. For further information visit www.gct.org/pdf/vol.pdf. 

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Discover the World Galapagos charter 

Specialist tour operator Discover the World have chartered the Cachalote, a 96-foot motor schooner, for an exclusive 11-night holiday in September sailing through the 'enchanted isles' in the company of a Galapagos Conservation Trust lecturer. During the fabulous wildlife cruise spend some time at the Charles Darwin Research Centre on Santa Cruz, explore Isla Isabela, Isla Espanola and Isla Floreana, witness the extraordinary array of endemic wildlife and take the opportunity to explore Ecuador's historic capital city. 

For further information, visit www.gct.org/charter1.html. 

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