Archipelago of the Equator located east of the Pacific Ocean, the Galápagos Islands shelter an especially rich ecosystem, which attracts over 200,000 visitors each year. Treasure of biodiversity and UNESCO World Heritage site, the wealth of this archipelago is often found in small quantities in the luggage of tourists: small bottles filled with white sand, sea shells, animal shells or volcanic rocks... Let it be known, this sort of seemingly ordinary and harmless souvenir is forbidden. Detected by X-rays at the airport, these samples are seized, examined by experts and repatriated on their place of origin. Indeed, if every visitor decided to bring some of the local ecosystem home, it would mean extracting kilos of sand and endanger the ecosystem. 304 seizures of inorganic material have thus been inventoried in 2014, most of the transgressors being Ecuadorean tourists in a commercial purpose. Implemented in 1999, the law forbidding the extraction of geological or biological material on the territory leads up to jail sentences. It is therefore recommended to simply observe and take photos! A process, which is respectful of the environment and hailed by the Green Hotels Paris.

White sand beach © Facebook Galapagos Islands

More information on the UNESCO website.

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