About This Project

Tourism is the main source of income for Galapagos; however, the COVID pandemic collapsed this industry, causing job losses and affecting the livelihood of the local community. Sharks attract large numbers of tourists to Galapagos and may have an important role in the archipelago’s economic recovery. Our project will describe the economics of shark-diving tourism in Galapagos and how this industry can support the livelihood of the local community while assisting shark conservation.

Ask the Scientists

What is the context of this research?

Tourism is the primary source of income for Galapagos; however, the COVID pandemic collapsed this industry, with the local economy experiencing drastic revenue and job losses. This also had conservation implications as park entry fees account for a large partof the enforcement budget. As a result, the pandemic disruption increased the vulnerability of endangered shark populations to illegal fishing within the Reserve. Sharks are worth more alive than dead and shark-diving tourism may have an important role in the archipelago’s economic recovery. Assessing the value of sharks as a tourism resource will clarify their importance for the livelihood of the local community. This will in turn provide a strong argument for shark conservation.

What is the significance of this project?

This project will provide an economic justification for shark conservation and will highlight the need for the allocation of sufficient resources to protect shark populations in the Galapagos Marine Reserve. This is important because Galapagos is one of the last places in the world where large schools of critically endangered species of sharks, such as the scalloped hammerhead shark, can still be found. From a socio-economic perspective, it will also highlight the need to assure that alternative funding sources are allocated to conservation during disruptive events (e.g., a pandemic) to support the livelihoods of the local community and guarantee the long-term resilience of such a remote, but ecologically unique area.

What are the goals of the project?

Our project has three main goals. Firstly, we propose to describe the economics of shark-diving tourism in Galapagos, using official statistics and our survey data. We will assess the monetary flow from this industry into the Galapagos economy through the generation of business revenues, jobs and government taxes. Based on this analysis, we will assess the role shark-diving tourism has played in the economic recovery of Galapagos from the COVID pandemic. Thirdly, we will describe an eventual change in the relative importance of shark-diving tourism to the Galapagos economy as a consequence of the COVID pandemic. With this, the project will assist shark conservation strategies providing a strong economic justification to control overfishing of sharks