Chapter 3 - Pearson Learning Solutions

archipelago has doubled to 30,000 people. The growing immigrantpopulation is straining public services such as waste disposal.To address the issue, Ecuador’s government has expelled morethan 1,000 people from the province, an action that has provokeda backlash. One migrant was powerless to stop authorities fromputting her daughter on an airplane back to the mainland. Shesaid, “We are being told that a tortoise for a rich foreigner to photographis worth more than an Ecuadorean citizen.”Meanwhile, the livelihoods of the Ecuadorians who remain onthe Galápagos are also increasingly dependent on exotic seaspecies. Marine ecosystems are being destroyed as fish stocksfrom the marine reserves are being depleted by illegal catchingand bottom fishing. China’s growing demand for shark fins andsea cucumbers has resulted in overfishing. Environmentalists haveexpressed concern that Ecuador’s environment ministry and parksservice are giving in to the demands of the local fishing cooperative.Also, tourists frequently leave behind more than just dollars.There is a growing problem with invasive species; incomingaircraft and boats routinely bring rats, ant, roaches, moths, andother insects that pose a threat to the islands’ biodiversity.Preservation of the Galápagos Islands is not the sole environmentalconcern in Ecuador. Back on the mainland, environmentalistsare seeking ways to slow the rate of rain forestdestruction. One plan calls for lining up investors who will financethe conversion of some vulnerable parts of the rain forest intoprotected preserves. There are concerns, however, that ecotourismwill actually accelerate the area’s environmental degradation.Discussion Questions1. The case reports economic data showing that GDP in theProvince of Galápagos increased 78 percent over the six-yearperiod from 1999 to 2005. However, during the same period,per capita GDP showed an increase of less than 2 percent.What is the explanation for this? What are the implications forsustainable development of the Galápagos tourism industry?2. The Galápagos Islands are home to many different endemicspecies. Do you think that Ecuador’s policymakers have doneenough to ensure sustainable growth of the tourism sector?Are the limits on human inhabitants and visitors stringentenough? Too stringent?3. How do you market something such as the GalápagosIslands, which have such strict guidelines?This case was prepared by Research Assistant Emily Beckmann under thesupervision of Professor Mark Green.Sources: Simon Romero, “Puerto Ayora Journal: To Protect Galapagos,Ecuador Limits a Two-Legged Species,” The New York Times (October 5,2009), pp. A1, A8; J. Edward Taylor, Jared Hardner, and Micki Stewart,“Ecotourism and Economic Growth in the Galápagos: An IslandEconomy-wide Analysis,” Environment and Development Economics, 14,no. 2 (2009), 139–162; “Shellshock,” Economist (March 29, 2008), p. 97;Galápagos Conservation Trust, “Explore Galápagos” (2008); Steve Nash,“Ecotourism and Other Invasions,” Bioscience (February 2009); MarthaHoney and Ann Littlejohn, “Paying the Price of Ecotourism,” Americas(November/December 1994).000200010270740623105Global Marketing, Sixth Edition, by Warren J. Keegan and Mark C. Green. Copyright © 2011 by Warren J. Keegan. Published by Prentice Hall.