In 1959, to mark the centenary of the publication of Charles Darwin's "The Origin of Species," the Ecuadorean government declared the Galapagos a National Park. In 1979, UNESCO proclaimed the archipelago a World Heritage Site.
Today, legislation introduced in 1996 restricting new settlement on the Galapagos and a 1998 dispensation allowing the Galapagos to retain $95 of the $100 entrance fee paid by all visitors are helping to preserve the islands' unique ecology.
However, a number of challenges still face scientists and conservationists working in the archipelago.
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