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Ever since Charles Darwin visited the Galápagos Islands in 1835 and observed the animals there as a living laboratory of natural selection, the Galápagos has become known as one of the best places to see wildlife.
自從查爾斯·達爾文於1835年造訪加拉帕戈斯群島，並將那裡的動物視為自然選擇的活實驗室以來，加拉帕戈斯便成為觀賞野生動物的最佳地點之一。

The islands hold 14 species of tanagers and 12 species of tortoise.
該群島擁有14種雀科鳥類和12種陸龜。

Penguins and flamingos live within a few miles of one another.
企鵝和火烈鳥生活在相隔僅幾英里的範圍內。

Sea lions are so well fed on abundant fish that they do not even bother with the penguins.
海獅因為魚類資源豐富，吃得非常飽足，甚至懶得去理會企鵝。

The list of wildlife attractions, promoted on slick brochures and Web sites, is why numerous adventurous tourists have been compelled for decades to make the long journey to the archipelago.
光鮮亮麗的宣傳冊和網站推廣的野生動物景點清單，使無數富有冒險精神的遊客數十年來不遠萬里前往這片群島。

In recent years, however, the trickle of tourists has turned into a flood.
然而，近年來，少量的遊客已經變成了遊客潮。

In the early 1990s, 41,000 people a year visited the Galápagos. In 2013 the figure exceeded 200,000 for the first time.
1990年代初期，每年有41,000人造訪加拉帕戈斯。到了2013年，這一數字首次突破20萬。

More than 224,000 visitors arrived in 2015, another record.
2015年，造訪人數超過了224,000人，再創新高。

This growth is fueled in part by need. Ecuador is struggling financially.
這一增長部分是由需求所驅動。厄瓜多爾正面臨財務困境。

It relies on oil for 44 percent of its export revenues.
該國的出口收入有44%依賴於石油。

To bolster its finances and make up for the recent drop in oil prices, the government has turned to tourism, allowing industry to develop the islands more easily.
為了增強財政實力並彌補近期油價下跌造成的損失，政府轉向旅遊業，允許業者更容易開發這些島嶼。

It is possible to conduct tourism in a way that preserves natural areas and benefits local people.
確實可以以保護自然區域並造福當地居民的方式進行旅遊活動。

But this responsible ecotourism still has an impact on habitat, and it is no longer the only kind that is happening in the Galápagos.
但即使是負責任的生態旅遊，仍然會對棲息地造成影響，而這已不再是加拉帕戈斯唯一的旅遊模式。

The influx of travelers is on a collision course with the very thing that everyone comes to see: the wildlife.
湧入的大量遊客正與人們前來觀賞的目標——野生動物——發生衝突。

Of 20 endemic species that are critically endangered, 16 live on the four inhabited islands that get the most visitors.
在20種極度瀕危的特有物種中，有16種生活在遊客最多的四個島嶼上。

It is very ironic that ecotourism turns out to be one of the killers that destroyed the animals there.
諷刺的是，生態旅遊竟成為摧毀那裡動物的“殺手”之一。