November 8, 2004

Today was the first meeting of the Objective #1 group. I created a mailing list for the group and all memebers of the group may be contacted through piratesloveiguanas@mit.edu

The main issue the group faces currently is to decide whether to implement a design based on a coalition of NGOs or to create an international UN-like organization.

Coalition

• less legitimacy
• do these NGOs have other motivations
• what makes NGOs want to join this coalition? How will they benefit
• Easier to control
• simpler system, no need to worry about international law
• Ecuador may find NGOs less objectionable than involvement of other nations

International

• more bureacratic "red tape"
• involvement of too many nations
• allows nations without a legitimate claim in the Galapagos say in what happens in the area
  
• greater legitimacy
• Ecuador has expressed unwillingness to have international involvement
• harder to make it purely environemental without getting politics involved
• possibly greater sources of funding if nations are invovled
  

Other issues to be concerned with

• Oversight
• Have very specific purposes for money, so that the money will not be funneled for other purposes
• Money distribution system
• Future of Charles Darwin Foundation if coalition plan is chosen
  
• future role
• how much money will they get
• will the coalition be seen as competition with the Charles Darwin foundation since many of its donors are potential donors to the coalition of NGOs
• use of Charles Darwin foundation as a model
  
• Mission statement of NGOs
• what political/other goals do they have?
  
• What can be improved about the Charles Darwin foundation?
• Impediments to implementation

Members of the group split up the issues that need further research and will report back with their findings at the next group meeting possibly on Thursday. I will be researching UNESCO and a few smaller NGOs.