Mr Chris Border
Reflections from the 2008 Toyota International Teacher Program to the Galápagos Islands
This summer I had the opportunity to visit Yellowstone National Park with my family, and I truly had envisioned something very similar for the Galapagos. I knew that in the past people had lived on the Galapagos, and from readings and Dr. Keller’s assignments I knew that people still lived there today. Even with that understanding, I was completely taken aback by the way in which the wilderness and people were co-mingled on the island. Yet as I spent more time observing and studying, I came to realize what a perfect metaphor the islands were for environmental sustainability for the entire planet. The questions of sustainability that face the globe live large and looming in the Galapagos because of it’s smaller scale and fragility. We were, of course treated to excellent lectures on sustainability by Dr. Keller and many others, all of which were very informative - yet the firsthand opportunity to see sustainability (and at times a lack of sustainability) in such a beautiful environment was a profoundly powerful experience.
If sustainability is possible on the Galapagos, then sustainability is possible anywhere. In that sense, life on the Galapagos is a test for all humanity - if we pass, then we get to keep the earth. I think the sustainability of life on the Galapagos is an open question - just as it is over the entire earth. I feel that people have begun to clearly see the question and the issues that drive our need to preserve such beautiful places. Of course, seeing the issues and problems does not mean we see the solution.
Sustainability is very much a local question with global connections and solutions. People live on the Galapagos to satisfy the needs of people from all over the world who come to share in the wonder and beauty of the Galapagos. Goods and fuel must be transported to the islands from the mainland and great expense and risk. Local choices alone cannot determine the survival of a place like the Galapagos - we must all take our own responsibility in everything we do.
One of the major issues that we confronted in our travels, and that I see much more clearly in my own community, is the need for environmental and economic sustainability to be tied together. As humans, we are not always completely altruistic in our actions and motivations. Many Ecuadoreans struggle to find jobs and meet the daily needs of life - can they be blamed for wanting to move to an economically attractive region like the Galapagos in order to feed their families and improve their quality of life? Economics must necessarily play a major role in any questions of sustainability - for that is what motivates individuals and governments. We like to say that we cannot put a price tag on nature and the environment, but we may have to in order to ensure it’s very survival.
In my own community, sustainability (of the environment) has always meant economic sustainability - how much fishing can a given region handle? how much pressure can exert on fish stocks without permanently reducing their capacities? how much fishing is too much when we must compete with other species? Our economy is based on the sustainability of our local environment, and for many, that is the biggest drive to protect areas and set limits on pollution and waste. The next generation must look beyond the economy, and beyond their communities if we are to save places like the Galapagos.
I have fallen in love with the Galapagos - and I truly feel that it is necessary for my students to do the same. In exploring at and studying the Galapagos, my students will have the opportunity to explore and study issues of global importance: population, economics, energy usage, introduction of species - all issues tied together in the concept of sustainability. In loving the Galapagos, and what they represent, students will value the intrinsic worth of a land they might never travel to but they will have transcended the petty economies of the individual, and even mankind, and moved to a larger view of their lives, actions and impact.
When I left for the Galapagos, I was intent on my students having access to all the facts and details of the natural rhythms and animals of the Galapagos. Now I want my students to see, understand, and feel so much more. I want my students to have not only a good understanding of the ecology of the islands, but also the issues. I want my students to be passionately motivated to address the issues on a local level, and I feel that much more than analyzing data for the sake of mathematics, we will be using mathematics for the sake of change - mathematics will become a springboard for solving problems and better understanding the issues that will confront students as they become leaders.