Santa Cruz Island, Galápagos Our studio’s work on Santa Cruz Island in the Galápagos exists at the intersection of a fragile ecology, a booming tourism sector and local health and wellness issues. We’ve translated the concept of holistic wellness from a buzzword in individual human health to the wellbeing and sustainability of the entire archipelago. The project contains three interconnected sectors: an economic plan to reroute tourism dollars back to the islands, a physical manifestation in the form of a community center, and smaller-scale products meant to bridge the gaps between economy and ecology. Vidamos, the economic wellness plan, addresses the financial leakages in the current system to allow money to stay in Galapagueños’ pockets. Resources generated from Vidamos
will allow the local residents to have a controlling role in their economy, community, and personal health. Starting with the funds to create the wellness clinic and education center located at the Bellavista Cultural Center, locals will build the tools to take care of their bodies and their islands. As you have discovered, this project is intended to not only create awareness on the fragility of the ecology when it comes to tourism, but also the impact on the lives of the locals. We’ve come to understand that holistic wellbeing needs not only be about personal health, but just as important is the health of ecology, economy, and the community.
15%
74%
of tourist stay on vessels
of full value of tourism reches local residents
93%
65%
of tourist travel exclusivly with vessel
TOURISM
Hightest leakage in economy from vessels
LEAKAGES
Tourist disconnect with Local
84%
of tourist spending is on vessels
of totall revenue on island only comes from vessels
418M
Represents total value of Galapagos tourism
150%
LOCAL
Unsustainable pop growth on island leading to strained public services
63M
Increase in days spent on vessels from 1991-2006
Enters local economy
Wellness plan Ecotourism
Problem Identification
Contingent on the presence of tourism, the economy of the Galapagos Islands is also quite fragile. Over 225,000 people visit the archipelago each year, with $400M spent annually on these trips. Economic leakage from travel methods on the island is unprecedented. The cruise ships, which are often owned by non-Galapagueño enterprises, keep 75% of their passengers on board, and 95% of the total passengers
will travel with the boat from destination to destination, leaving only a small population tapping into the culture and economy of the locals on land. This model for tourism has become unsustainable on an economic, social, and ecological level. Of all this money only 15% of the full value of tourism reaches the local residents.
VIDAMOS The Galapagos is thought of as a distant place, independent of the rest of the world. But just as Charles Darwin recognized the importance of the rapid evolution occurring on these islands as a microcosm for the entire course natural history on Earth, today we realize that not only is the Galápagos is an island but the earth is an island itself. The problems faced in the Galápagos are, at a different scale, similar to issues in ecology, tourism and local life presented across the globe.
Health is created, not consumed. The solution to this problem: Vidamos. The Vidamos network is a wellness plan that creates a new type of network within the Galapagos, where health is at the center. This network seeks the balance of a healthy mind, body, and environment. Its curriculum utilizes the eight pillars of health that are at the center of holistic medicine. It recognizes that wellness is not just the absence of disease or infirmity, but a lifestyle.
Los Gemelos
Lava tube
Site
Cerro Crocket
Hotspot system
Vidamos is an exclusive network of hotspots for those seeking a better connection to life. The backbone of the wellness plan is this network, where the premiere concepts of wellness are exchanged between tourists and locals. In conjunction with the physical locations, a token system rewards participants with knowledge, experience, and access not available in other ways. Tokens are based on completing educational tasks and experiences and provide a path to personal, wellness-based enlightenment. Tokens received will be utilized to acquire badges. These badges, in turn, establish your status within the Vidamos system in a way similar to other sectors in the tourism industry, such as frequent flyer clubs. Each status level confers benefits. Three major status levels are present within the system: Seeker, Soma, and Sage. Seeker, the primary level, is the level that most will obtain with a visit to the Galápagos. Seekers are the initial level of enlightenment within the system. Soma, the second level, is the main body of the Vidamos system. The Soma operate at
a high level of mindfulness. The last level, Sage, is not obtained by many. The Galápagos Sage is an expert in the tenets of Vidamos, and leads the program to an even higher level of enlightenment. The system draws inspiration as well from the guide-based system currently present in the Galápagos. All tourists in the Galápagos who venture outside the few urban centers are legally required to be accompanied by a qualified guide. The network is not just a path for tourists. Locals follow the same qualification system path to gain their knowledge. As the locals earn higher levels, they advance to a higher level of teaching and pay. Locals participation in the Vidamos system provides an avenue for direct learning of healthy principles, and this knowledge will transfer to the families. Hotspots locations throughout the island are scalable, depending on economic and ecological impacts.
Token to Badges The majority of the souvenirs we found on Santa Cruz island were all imported from the mainland or China. This fact is emblematic of a larger issue: the tourist and the local have limited authentic connection within each other. To spur this communication, we want to introduce you a locally-made bead which can fit in any bracelet. The Vidamos system utilizes beads which are symbolic of the badges received within the system. The badges specifically from Galápagos are made from local invasive plants or tortoise waste depends on the situation of the locals. For this case, we made our badges from bamboo, which is a common invasive plants in Galápagos.
GRA 621: Fall 2018 Global Engagement Studio: Galapogos
Student: Y. Chiueh, G. Hildebrandt, J. Huang, J. Li, Y. Liu, C. Ni, K. Parris, N. Raccosta, E. Sanchez, Y. Tan, S. Todorovic, J. Tsepal Instructor: D. Petrucci, M. Fehler, A. Fischer