儘管與專家的意見背道而馳，聯合國世界遺產委員會(World Heritage Committee) 仍決定，將厄瓜多的加拉巴哥群島(Galapagos Islands )自世界重要瀕危遺產名單中剔除。
加拉巴哥群島向來以「演化歷史的活展覽館」而聞名，但由於外來物種的入侵、過度發展的觀光與過度捕撈等威脅，在2007年被列入世界瀕危遺產名單(List of World Heritage Sites in Danger)。
7月29日，由21個國家組成的決策小組，以厄瓜多政府對於解決加拉巴哥群島面臨的威脅已達成「重大進展」為由，核准了巴西提出的建議，將加拉巴哥群島由世界瀕危遺產名單中剔除。
但是為聯合國教科文組織(UNESCO)提供諮詢的國際自然保育聯盟(International Union for the Conservation of Nature, IUCN)認為，將加拉巴哥自名單中剔除的決定過於草率。IUCN的世界遺產計畫主持人貝德曼(Tim Badman)說：「觀光業、外來種侵略與過度捕撈還是一樣對群島造成威脅，而群島的情況也還是很危險。」
加拉巴哥的火山環群島在1978年被聯合國教科文組織列為全世界第一個世界遺產地點。這19個島嶼與其周圍的海洋資源蘊育了非比尋常的生態。但是現在外來種的入侵對加拉巴哥獨特的生態系統造成最大的威脅。19世紀初期，當人們剛開始定居在群島上時，引進了山羊、豬隻與牛隻。這些家畜還有貓、狗開始在野外繁殖，並以當地生物為食，或與它們競爭食物，造成某些物種的滅絕，例如聖地牙哥島(Santiago Island)的陸鬣蜥蜴。
舉例來說，野犬是海龜蛋、陸鬣蜥蜴與企鵝的天敵。四隻在19世紀早期引進聖地牙哥島的山羊，至今繁衍數量估計已達10萬隻的規模。由於山羊幾乎可依賴任何植物維生，單單是山羊便可能是導致島上高達5種的植物物種滅絕的元兇，不僅於此，山羊還跟海龜搶奪食物來源。而加拉巴哥群島日漸興盛的觀光業以及人口的增加，被認為可能是無法成功隔絕外來物種的根源。
不過有一些保育行動的成果是相當顯著的。根據加拉巴哥國家公園處的園區人員進行長達10天的調查顯示，保育行動已經成功繁殖1500隻以上的海龜。調查初步結果顯示信天翁、仙人掌與木本植物的生長已經在某種程度上回復到當初達爾文所見的樣貌。但是加拉巴哥的人口仍然持續上升，也因此產生廢棄物處理的問題，對島上自然資源帶來更多的負擔。
The United Nations' World Heritage Committee has decided to remove Ecuador's Galapagos Islands from its list of globally important sites in danger, despite an expert recommendation to the contrary.
The Galapagos, known as a unique "living museum and showcase of evolution" were inscribed on the List of World Heritage Sites in Danger in 2007 because of threats posed by invasive species, runaway tourism and overfishing.
Meeting in Brasilia, the 21-nation panel today approved a Brazilian recommendation to withdraw the islands from the list, saying the government of Ecuador has made "significant progress" addressing threats to the Galapagos.
But the International Union for the Conservation of Nature(IUCN) , which advises the UNESCO committee says the removal is "premature."
"Threats from tourism, invasive species and overfishing are still factors and the situation in the Galapagos remains critical," says Tim Badman, who heads IUCN's World Heritage Programme.
The Galapagos chain of volcanic islands were named the first World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1978.
These 19 islands and the surrounding marine reserve are inhabited by unusual animal life. Today, invasive species are the greatest direct threat to the Galapagos' unique ecosystems. People began introducing goats, pigs and cattle to the islands when they were first settled in the early 19th century. These livestock species, along with cats and dogs, have established wild populations and prey on, or compete with local species, driving some of them to extinction, such as the land iguana of Santiago island.
Feral dogs are a threat to tortoise eggs, native iguanas and penguins. Four goats introduced to the Santiago Islands in the early 1800s, have multiplied into an estimated population of 100,000. Due to their ability to feed on nearly any plant, goats alone may be responsible for the local extinction of up to five plant species and compete with the Galapagos tortoises for their food source.
Increasing tourism and population growth in Galapagos have been linked to the difficulty of keeping introduced species out of the islands.
Some conservation progress is evident. The conservation effort has resulted in a reproducing population of more than 1,500 tortoises, according to a survey conducted over 10 days in June by wardens from the Galapagos National Park Authority.
Preliminary results of the survey also found that albatross, cactus and woody plants have recovered somewhat, restoring the island to something resembling to what Darwin saw.
But the population of the Galapgaos is increasing, bringing with it problems of waste disposal and greater pressure on the islands' natural resources.
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