The government of Ecuador has recently agreed to allow the U.S. military to base aircraft and naval ships at one of the Galapagos Islands in violation of the Constitution of Ecuador, which both forbids any foreign military installations and provides the natural environment with the right to be protected.

The Galapagos Islands are home to a large number of endemic species and are the source of Charles Darwin’s studies and observations which led to the Darwin theory of evolution. The islands and surrounding waters are a natural environment treasure and have been designated as a UNESCO World Heritage Site and a biosphere reserve.

The United States currently has over 1,000 military bases around the world which are a source of major environmental destruction. Recently the U.S. Navy destroyed pristine coral reefs in Jeju Island, South Korea and local residents in Okinawa are desperately trying to stop the construction of a new base in Henoko.

It would be a travesty to allow a major producer of pollution and environmental destruction to be based on an irreplaceable site precious to the world.