Galapagos Marine Reserve (extension of the Galapagos Islands)
The Committee recognized that the Marine Reserve met natural
heritage criteria. However, in accordance with the
recommendation of IUCN and the wish of the Observer of Ecuador,
it deferred the inclusion of the Galapagos Marine Reserve as an
extension of World Heritage site of Galapagos. The Committee
commended the Ecuadorean authorities for their efforts to
enlarge the World Heritage property to include marine habitats
extending to 15 nautical miles from the islands. It also noted
the proposal of the Ecuadorean authorities to extend marine
habitats up to 40 nautical miles. But the Committee was
seriously concerned that the proposed Marine Reserve and the
Galapagos Islands faced the following threats to their
integrity: - overfishing and illegal fishing of a wide range of
species; - human pressures from the local population (growing at
an estimated rate of 8.5% per year, mainly due to immigration)
and tourism on both terrestrial and marine resources;