Destruction or Trial for the Creature? 1998

El nino, which in the Spanish expression for the God Child,
arises in the waters around Galapagos and extends to
the sea in front of the Republic of Ecuador,
consists of an increase in the sea water temperature,
and it affects the weather on a global scale.
The most recent El Nino started in March 1997,
and was the biggest in record this century.
I traveled to Galapagos , which I consider my second home,
in November 1997,
to investigate the influence of El Nino in the archipelago.
The previous appearance of El Nino, in 1982-83,
also brought serious consequences.
It was regarded the biggest in the 20th century.
It seriously affected the animals that depend
on the sea to obtain their food.
More than half of the population of those species died
and until the beginning of the 1997-98 El Nino,
have not yet recovered to the levels to 1982.
In this occasion, once again, El Nino struke Galapagos
with extraordinary force and a full assessment of
the damages has still to be done.
I was able to observe the dangerous situation that
the animals depending on the sea are facing ,
amongst them, the marine iguanas, sea lions, seals,and sea birds.
They looked exhausted due to the abnormal weather
that lasted for such a long period.
The plants that had been introduced from the mainland pose
another serious problem.
The unusual rainfall, help them to grow rapidly.
The introduced species already occupy one third of
the total plant species of the archipelagos.
Guabas, Cascarenias,Elephant grass and blackberries
are overcomming the species that originally thrived on the islands.
I am sure that during the 1997-98 El Nino
they extended further on.
After El Nino fades away, La Nina, a dry spell,
will hit Galapagos , bringing new dangers.
Due to the huge scale of the 1997-98 El Nino,
several scientist believe that it is not of the same
kind of phenomenon as the one's registered in the
past since ancient times.
They say that the Earth is warming
and that resulted in a strong El Nino.
Even if El Nino had not occurred,
there are species that are in danger of disappearing
in Galapagos due to human presence.
Maintaining the ecosystem is a very important task of huge magnitude.
El Nino, added to the destructive effects of human presence,
is affecting the Galapagos Islands,
the Natural Heritage of Humankind.