How Tourism Pressures the Galapagos: A study of Carrying Capacities and Local Impacts

Project Description

The project aims to understand how mass tourism can affect the Galapagos Islands as a refuge for nature, from an environmental and social perspective, focusing on how tourists and residents perceive crowdedness.

The project will answer two questions: 

1. How do tourists perceive the destination?
2. How do local residents live with this tourist presence?

To do this, the project will measure what the islands can really bear (known as their carrying capacity) on three levels:

1. Environmental: can nature support so many visitors?
2. Social: do local residents find tourism bearable?
3. Psychological: how do tourists feel about the experience when it's so crowded?

Thanks to these analyses, the project will propose concrete recommendations to local authorities for:

• Better plan and manage tourism,
• Limit tourist overcrowding,
• Move towards more sustainable tourism that respects both nature and local communities.