Violence threatens Darwin's paradise
Spanish explorers called them Las Encantadas, the Enchanted Isles, and Charles Darwin used his studies of the islands as the foundation for his theory of natural selection. The Galapagos are among the world's most important scientific treasures, a group of stark volcanic islands fringed by deserted beaches and inhabited by unique varieties of giant tortoise, lizards and birds. Yet life on this idyllic United Nations world heritage site has turned sour. Pitched battles have broken out between fishermen, armed with machetes, and conservationists. Ecuador, which owns the islands, has sent a naval patrol to quell disturbances, while police last week began arresting local men for rioting and assault.