Ecuador's President, Rafael Correa, recently appointed a former World Wildlife Fund director, Eliecer Cruz, governor of the endangered islands. Cruz grew up in the Galapagos with the dream of doing something to protect the unique islands and their endangered wildlife. After receiving degrees in biology and conservation on the mainland, Cruz returned to the islands to work for WWF and to serve as director of the National Park for eight years. Cruz faces a tremendous challenge in protecting the archipelago from the impacts of a burgeoning tourist industry and the illegal immigration the industry attracts. A start would be fixing the municipal sewer problem in Santa Cruz.
Saturday, December 29, 2007
A Boyhood Dream Realized
Ecuador's President, Rafael Correa, recently appointed a former World Wildlife Fund director, Eliecer Cruz, governor of the endangered islands. Cruz grew up in the Galapagos with the dream of doing something to protect the unique islands and their endangered wildlife. After receiving degrees in biology and conservation on the mainland, Cruz returned to the islands to work for WWF and to serve as director of the National Park for eight years. Cruz faces a tremendous challenge in protecting the archipelago from the impacts of a burgeoning tourist industry and the illegal immigration the industry attracts. A start would be fixing the municipal sewer problem in Santa Cruz.