Chile cracks down on Easter Island tourism to protect the environment

Chile【小题1】(crack) down on tourists and non—local residents on its remote Easter Island in the following years, in a bid【小题2】(protect) the famed destination’s environment and heritage, and tackle rising crime.

New rules came into effect on Wednesday reducing the time that tourists—foreigners, but also Chileans not part of the Rapa Nui people—can stay on the island from 90 to 30 days.

Those wishing to visit Easter Island【小题3】 now fill out a special form, have a hotel reservation or present a letter of invitation from an islander, along with showing round trip tickets. Those who wish to live on the island are required to be a parent, partner or child of the Rapa Nui people.【小题4】 who will be allowed to stay are public servants, employees of organizations that provide services to the government, and those who develop an independent economic activity alongside their families.

The new rules will also establish a yet-to-be-decided maximum capacity.【小题5】 its isolated location some 3,500 kilometres from the coast of mainland Chile, the island is one of【小题6】(popular)tourist destinations across the globe, not least due to the around 900 giant human figures that line the island,【小题7】(stand) up to 10 metres tall.

The Moai monumental statues【小题8】(carve) by the Rapa Nui people, believed to have arrived on the Pacific island around the 12th century. But tourists and mainland migrants have become a threat to the island’s well—being. “It is a magical island【小题9】 we all want to visit, but it is also a sensitive island and therefore we have to take care of it,” Chile’s President Sebastian Pinera said Wednesday, speaking on the country’s 24-hour news channel. “Environmentally the island is very fragile, ”Ana Maria Gutierrez, the local government’s environmental adviser told AFP. For Mayor Edmunds, the legislation is a good start【小题10】 not enough. Like“ many other Rapa Nui”, he said he favours a “total” ban on the arrival of new residents.

There is strong and comprehensive evidence that the rise in temperature 【小题1】 (lead) to an increase in extreme weather and natural disasters worldwide over the past years. Continued greenhouse gas emissions will result in further warming and long­lasting changes to the global climate. This requires the attention of people all over the world. We as 【小题2】 (individual) can reduce our “carbon footprint” by restricting the amount of carbon dioxide our lifestyles produce. 【小题3】 is our responsibility to seize every opportunity to educate everyone about global warming.

KV Priyesh, a fisherman,【小题1】(live) in Kerala’s Kozhikode district, was increasingly disturbed by the amount of plastic waste that would get【小题2】(trap) in his fishing nets, every time he went out to the sea.

While out on his boat in Chombala Harbor in Kerala, India, KV Priyesh noticed that his nets would pull in just as much plastic waste as they would fish. This was not only counterproductive, but it was also【小题3】(deep) disturbing.

“The sea is my home,”【小题4】30-year-old fisherman told The Better India. “How would you feel if everyone is trashing your home and there is so much garbage【小题5】you can’t breathe? That is perhaps how the【小题6】(creature) in the ocean feel. While most people think that the waste can【小题7】(find) largely along the shores, the reality is that one can find it in the deep parts of the ocean as well,” he said. “It’s not just tourists cruising on ferries; even fishermen are【小题8】(guilt) of throwing plastic bottles that they carry with them to the sea.”

Over time, Priyesh began collecting plastic waste each night【小题9】teamed up with a local businessman who owns a plastic shredder（破碎机）. They estimate that they【小题10】（collect） 13.5 metric tons of plastic over the years, and their efforts have been recognized by community members.