The Philippine Embassy in Bogotá undertook a working visit to the Galápagos Islands in Ecuador to explore the potential of a bilateral agreement between the two countries on biodiversity cooperation and marine conservation, including the fields of scientific research, as well as migration and tourism policy.

 

The team met officials from the Consejo de Gobierno de Régimen Especial de Galápagos, the Charles Darwin Research Station, and the Galápagos National Park Directorate.

 

The Islands hold a constitutionally protected “special regime” status which subjects the province’s planning, migration, residency, and development to distinct rules aimed at conserving the archipelago’s natural heritage. About 97% of the islands’ land area is protected as Galápagos National Park, established in 1959 as Ecuador’s first national park and declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and it is jointly managed with the Galápagos Marine Reserve by the Galápagos National Park Directorate.

 

The islands are also home to internationally significant scientific work, including giant tortoise breeding and species reintroduction, invasive-species control, and marine ecosystem monitoring, in close partnership with the Park Directorate. #