In Galapagos at the Crossroads: Pirates, Biologists, Tourists, and Creationists Battle for Darwin’s Cradle of Evolution there are so many culprits and plot twists that at times you may feel that you are in the midst of a soap opera. Unfortunately it is not a soap opera, but a real life war raging against the Galapagos and surprisingly one that tourists are contributing to on their Galapagos holiday.

At first glance, the Galapagos is a success story. Over 97% of the Galapagos is protected and is a national park. Only 5 of the 12 islands are inhabited. It is the only archipelago in the world that has maintained 95% of its original diversity, all very impressive statistics.

However, in Galapagos at the Crossroads, Bassett introduces us to villains that come in all shapes and sizes that may result in the demise of the pristine Galapagos. Villains that come in the shape of politicians, economics, overpopulation, rioting fishermen, shark finners, unsustainable fishing practises, lack of law enforcement, law of laws, lack of educated local citizens, creationist guides who lead tours of the Galapagos without mentioning evolution, tourism and with tourism the constant threat of invasive species not to mention the already present invasive species. Whew, that’s a long list!

Bassett’s technique to introducing the reader to these issues facing the Galapagos is mainly through interviews in which she frequently quotes the interviewee. This technique literally gives the book a voice and multiple voices at that. It also makes Galapagos at the Crossroads very readable and riveting reading at that. It seems that with one noticeable exception (which Bassett mentions herself several times); Bassett has interviewed all the key players in the war against the Galapagos.

There are the voices of the heroes of the Galapagos - long time residents with a genuine concern and love for the Galapagos who have been active crusaders of the Galapagos for years. The voices that give you hope – former fishermen who in the past contributed to the wipe out of the now fished out sea cucumbers or used to participate in shark finning who are now working as tour guides or dive masters in the Galapagos with a completely new conservation and environmental perspective and who want their children to do the same. The voices that make you angry – corrupt politicians and fishermen denying their role in destroying the Galapagos despite considerable evidence indicating otherwise. Bassett has done a commendable job of researching and interviewing key players with a multitude of perspectives regarding the threats facing the Galapagos. Unlike other books on the Galapagos which focus on wildlife or geology, Bassett has chosen to focus mainly on the role that people play in determining the fate of the Galapagos.

Bassett also wisely includes the historical role that people have played in shaping the Galapagos. Bassett devotes one chapter to Charles Darwin and how his time in the Galapagos served as the foundation for the theory of evolution. This chapter is fascinating as it sheds light on Darwin’s short comings as a scientist and shows that Darwin missed many key elements (such as noticing the different lengths of the tortoises necks on different islands according to the vegetation available upon each). This is in vast contrast to the information readily available about Darwin and I appreciated the fresh perspective.

Continuing on the historical role of people, Bassett also demonstrates the role that pirates and whalers play in shaping the present day Galapagos by wiping out populations of tortoises which they would use for food and by bringing in invasive species such as cats, dogs and the especially damaging goats. Until reading Galapagos at the Crossroads I didn’t realize how invasive species could be so damaging but after reading the chapter on Project Isabela which involved eradicating 100,000 feral goats of Isabela Island by bringing in sharp shooters and is one of the largest restoration projects in the world, I had a much different perspective. Why was the eradication of 100,000 feral goats necessary? To save the estimated 5000 native tortoises that live on Isabela Island who were literally starving to death and dying of thirst since the goats ate and drank everything in sight. Adding insult to injury is the fact that the goats eroded the land so bad that tortoises were falling to their demise on the eroded volcanoes, an image that still sticks with me and leaves me feeling sick to my stomach after reading Galapagos at the Crossroads. This chapter describing Project Isabela was the most fascinating, educational and well writer chapter in the entire book. It effectively demonstrates how invasive species, even a few seemingly harmless goats left by pirates and whalers can quickly reproduce and wipe out an island’s entire native species’. After reading this chapter, the reader will never think of invasive species the same again. It completely changed my perspective.

My two criticisms of Galapagos at the Crossroads is Bassett’s tendency to repeat herself multiple times through the book which I found mildly annoying. I also found that at some points in the book, the interviews seemed to be mish mashed together and lacked flow. At these times, Galapagos at the Crossroads was difficult to follow but these are minor annoyances in comparison to the strengths of the book.

Despite these criticisms, I would highly recommend Galapagos at the Crossroads. I read it while in the Galapagos which was an amazing if not somewhat surreal experience. It is a definite must read for everyone travelling to the Galapagos and I would especially recommend reading it before planning your Galapagos holiday. I was shocked to learn that less than 5% of tourism dollars actually reach local Galapagos residents. Knowing this, tourists may want to plan their Galapagos holiday differently so that more tourism dollars reach local Galapagos residents. Readers may also be surprised to learn that in such a pristine environment not all tours are eco-friendly. Knowing this can help the tourist choose more wisely before booking their Galapagos holiday and minimize their environmental impact in this pristine and delicate environment. While there are many threats facing the Galapagos not all related to tourism, my hope is that after reading Galapagos at the Crossroads tourists will feel responsible to not only minimize their environmental impact on their Galapagos holiday but to actually contribute have a positive impact by making wise choices on their Galapagos holiday.