HDNet's 'Dan Rather Reports' Investigates How Humans May Be Loving the Galapagos Islands to Death

HDNet's 'Dan Rather Reports' Investigates How Humans May Be Loving the Galapagos Islands to Death

'Dan Rather Reports' to air stunning footage of this exotic and fragile ecosystem - Tuesday, December 9 at 8:00 p.m. ET

DALLAS, Dec. 4 /PRNewswire/ -- Next Tuesday's "Dan Rather Reports" will feature a breathtaking look at the natural beauty of the Galapagos and how the increasing "human footprint" in the area is threatening to destroy this fragile ecosystem.

(Logo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20080324/HDNETLOGO)

A standard definition clip of the program can be viewed at the following link: http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-6811150079347265580&hl=en

The Galapagos Islands lie on the equator, six hundred miles off the coast of South America. Their unique wildlife inspired Charles Darwin's book "On The Origin of Species," and his theory of evolution, which revolutionized the way we look at all forms of life.

However, the natural and unspoiled beauty of these islands is now in peril due to the booming growth of tourism that has evolved over the last ten years. The increased presence of man has stressed the ecosystem of these islands to the point that the United Nations cultural organization -- UNESCO -- has put them on their list of endangered nature sites. UNESCO warned that "high immigration" and "uncontrolled development of tourism" were threatening the place that Darwin had made famous for its pristine environment.

In the 1980's the islands' population was approximately 3,000 -- now it is over 28,000.

The influx of people is not just due to increased tourism but also by the growing number of workers from South America who go there in search of jobs in the tourist industry.

Will this increased growth in the "human footprint" spell the demise of the Galapagos Islands, or is there still hope for this prehistoric archipelago to live on and thrive?

"Dan Rather Reports: Pollution in Paradise" premieres on HDNet, Tuesday, December 9 at 8:00 p.m. ET with a re-air 11:00 p.m. ET to accommodate West Coast Prime Time.

Encore air times can be found at the following link: http://www.hd.net/danrather.html

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Source: HDNet

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