COP26: Ecuador to announce environmental project for Galapagos Islands in Glasgow

RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – Ecuadorian President Guillermo Lasso will announce at the COP26 summit a flagship project for the emblematic Galapagos Islands, and hold a four-way meeting with U.S. President Joe Biden, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen.

“Ecuador plans to make an important international announcement in Glasgow, which has to do with the contribution of our country on climate change and the environment,” said the president in an interview with Efe, without revealing the details of the project, beyond the fact that it has to do with the popularly called “enchanted islands”.

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The president also highlighted “Ecuador’s commitments regarding our decision to focus on avoiding climate change”, and what “it can do with its ecosystems”.

Located some 1,000 kilometers west of the mainland, the Galapagos is one of the most biodiverse ecosystems in the world. In the past, all kinds of initiatives have been considered for their conservation.

One of them was a US$1 billion environmental debt swap to create a new reserve around the archipelago, which sought to expand fishing quotas through negotiation between all parties involved.

Asked about his plan, Lasso prefers “not to approach it from a financial point of view” because he says he has analyzed some of these proposals, which he considered “are interesting”. However, he believes that “Ecuador, sovereignly, must look for much more productive and beneficial alternatives.”

His approach will be presented during the summit and in a parallel meeting with the US President, Joe Biden; the British Prime Minister, Boris Johnson; and the President of the European Commission, Ursula Von der Leyen.

“The four of us are going to have a conversation on environmental issues, circular economy, issues in which Ecuador can engage with the world, as a small country but with apparent commitments in terms of ecological transition,” he explained.

The Ecuadorian president travels today to Madrid and, on Sunday, after a brief stopover, he will continue to Glasgow for the climate summit, where he will be accompanied by the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mauricio Montalvo, and the Minister of Environment, Water, and Ecological Transition, Gustavo Manrique.