The threat to the unique wildlife in the Galapagos archipelago appears to be receding. Prevailing winds are blowing the oil slick caused by a grounded tanker away to the north.
"We are confident that the ecosystems will recover fully," Dr Padraig Whelan, a lecturer in the Department of Plant Science at University College Cork, said. Dr Whelan is also vice-president of the Charles Darwin Foundation for the Galapagos Islands and spent from 1988 to 1993 on the islands.
The spill occurred a week ago when the Jessica went aground off the island of San Cristobal. There were fears that the oil would destroy ecosystems and threaten wildlife, about 40 per cent of which is unique to the Galapagos Islands.
It was a "near-miss", Dr Whelan said. He was the chief scientist at the Charles Darwin Research Station on Santa Cruz, which employs 200 scientists and staff.
He has been receiving regular reports from the islands on the progress of the slick.
"It is now being blown to the north of the islands," he said. "It is breaking up as it goes along." The high local temperatures which reach 30 degrees at this time of year are also helping to evaporate the spilled diesel oil.
Dr Whelan returned last month from a two-week stay on the islands as part of his research involvement with the Darwin Centre. The islands, he said, are vitally important for our understanding of evolution and the process that produces new species.
"It is the last great archipelago in the world that is in an intact condition," he said. Many species were lost on other Pacific islands such as the Hawaiian group due to the introduction of predators such as cats, dogs and rats. "Fernandian is the last big island in the world that has not been affected by introduced species."
The islands are unique in that evolutionary "forcing" takes place, caused by phenomena such as the El Nino, a change in ocean temperatures that causes climate change around the world.
The El Nino causes "bottlenecks" that make evolution progress rapidly, he said. "They are a tremendous motor for evolution. This makes it an ideal place to study evolution."
It also means, however, that the islands are a resource that must be protected, and the loss of even a single species due to pollution is a danger, he added.
"As far as the world is concerned, every species contributes greatly to our understanding of evolution."
Reuters adds: The European Commission called yesterday for tougher international laws on maritime safety following the oil spill.
"This unfortunate accident reminds us of the importance of improving the quality of maritime transport in the world," Mrs Loyola de Palacio, vice-president of the Commission in charge of transport, said in a statement.
"The European Union must be at the head of countries calling for more measures to protect human life and the marine environment," she added.
"We cannot maintain less restrictive international laws because the sea belongs to everybody and we have to take responsibility for its protection: the international regulations need to evolve."
