Spanish explorers called them Las Encantadas, the Enchanted Isles, and Charles Darwin used his studies of the islands as the foundation for his theory of natural selection. The Galapagos are among the world's most important scientific treasures, a group of volcanic islands surrounded by deserted beaches and inhabited by unique varieties of giant tortoise, lizards, and birds. Yet life on this United Nations world heritage site has turned sour. Battles have broken out between fishermen and conservationists. Ecuador, which owns the islands, has sent a naval patrol   to put down disturbances. The controversial director of the Galapagos National Park--which controls 97 percent of Galapagos land and the reserve extending to 40 miles offshore--has been fired, while an air of uneasy tension hangs over the islands, as the islanders prepare for election when they pick their representatives in Ecuador's national assembly. "It's a very tense situation," said Leonor Stjepic, director of the London-based Galapagos Conservation Trust, which raises money to help projects on the islands. "We are watching it with concern." The violence has been triggered by an alarming growth in the islands' population. Puerto Ayora, on Santa Cruz island, housed just 45 inhabitants in the 50s. Today there are more than 10,000, while the islands' total population is more than 19,000 and growing by 6 percent a year, despite recently introduced a law to limit waves of immigrants fleeing the poor areas of Ecuador for a life "in paradise  ". On top of _ , more than 100,000 tourists visit the islands every year. Such numbers have put the islands, special ecology under intense pressure. Conservationists backed by the Ecuador government, have replied by exercising strict controls to protect the islands* iguanas, blue-footed boobies, and giant tortoises. These moves have angered many local people, however. They want to exploit   the islands' waters and catch its protected species of sharks, lobsters and sea cucumbers, which can fetch high prices in Japan and South Korea. Angry fishermen surrounded the Charles Darwin research station on Santa Cruz last February, threatened to kill Lonesome George--the last surviving member of the Pinta Island species of the Galapagos giant tortoise. The situation got improved after the Ecuador government made concessions   by increasing fishing quotas  , which angered conservationists. "It is tragic, the short-term gain of a few fishermen versus the long-term survival of the Galapagos," said John McCosker of the California Academy of Sciences. "They are killing the golden goose." Then, the Ecuador government appointed Fausto Cepeda as the national park's new director, a post that has become a political football for the mainland government. There have been nine directors in the past 18 months. This appointment was particularly controversial, however. Cepeda was known to have close ties with the fishing industry, and the rangers  ,who run the national park and reserve, rebelled. More than 300 staged a sit-in at the park's headquarters and prevented Cepeda from taking up his post. A battle broke out, and at least two people suffered serious injuries. Eventually, Cepeda--with the fishermen's help- entered the park. "I am in office, i am in control. And I am trying to lower the tension," he announced. The Ecuador government _ , and sent a patrol boat to maintain the peace. A few days later, Ecuador Environment Minister Fabian Valdivicso met representatives of rangers. After discussions, he told newspapers that he had decided to remove Cepeda from the post. However, as the population continues to rise, the long-term pressures on the islands are serious and will not disappear that easily. "We have to balance its special environment with the needs of local people. In that sense, it is a microcosm   for all the other threatened parts of the world. So getting it right here is going to be a very, very important trick to pull off," said Stjepic. What is the primary contributing factor to the conflict between conservationists and fishermen?
The dismissal of the previous director of the Galapagos National Park. The exploitation of the islands. The government's support of Galapagos Conservation Trust. Cepeda's close tie with the fishing industry.