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☆ The global treasures in the running for UNESCO’s World Heritage status
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-15 | by ( Tamara Hardingham-Gill | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +9 min

This year, the UNESCO World Heritage Committee is reviewing nominations from both 2022 and 2023, with participants from across the world attending the session in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia to examine almost 50 contenders. According to UNESCO, sites must be of “outstanding universal value” to be included on the World Heritage List. So far, the World Heritage Committee has inscribed approximately 1,157 sites in 167 different countries onto the World Heritage List. Seo Heun Kang/UNESCO World Heritage Nomination OfficeOnly those countries that sign the convention creating the World Heritage Committee and list are permitted to nominate sites. Gordion, the capital city of ancient Phrygia in Ankara, Turkey, is also nominated for a place on the UNESCO World Heritage List.

Persons: John E, Seo Heun Kang, Bale, Gordion, Mustafa Ciftci, Midas, Morten Rasmussen, Sarah Langrand, Dominique Marck, Bani Ma’arid, Bani Ma'arid, Hamad Al Qahtani, Koh Ker, Mount Pelée, Canada Bale, Francesca Street Organizations: CNN, UNESCO, United Nations Educational, Cultural Organization, UNESCO World Heritage, Heritage, World, Anadolu Agency, Danish Agency for Culture, Fine Arts Department, de Nîmes, National Center for Wildlife, Architectural Museum, Kazan Federal University, Khinalig, Tunisia ESMA Museum, Clandestine Center of Detention, Wooden Posts, Greece Historic Center of Guimarães Locations: Gaya, Denmark, Thai, Ohio, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, Hancock, United States, Goryeong, South Korea, Addis Ababa, Phrygia, Turkey, Ankara, B.C.E, Madagascar, Si Thep, Thailand, Si, Nîmes, France, Gorokhovets, Russia, Vladimir Oblast, Erfurt, Germany, Cambodia, Khmer, Courland, Latvia, Kaunas, Lithuania, Ab’aj, Guatemala, India, Karakum, Tajikistan, Menorca, Spain, Ethiopia, Iran, Klondike, Canada, Czech, Odzala, Kokoua, Congo, Mount, Northern Martinique, Benin Ha Long, Ba Archipelago, Vietnam, Forests, Azerbaijan, Jericho, Palestinian Territories, Kazan, Tunisia, Argentina, Belgium, Suriname Royal, Netherlands, Anatolia, Bisesero, Rwanda, Yogyakarta, Indonesia, Masouleh, Turan, Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Northern Apennines, Italy, Tajikistan Highlands, Mongolian, Mongolia, Greece, Portugal

☆ A Writer Scrutinizes Privilege, Starting With His Own
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-22 | by ( Jonathan Dee | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

QUIET STREET: On American Privilege, by Nick McDonellIn the preface to his 11th book, the novelist and journalist Nick McDonell makes a very contemporary gesture of transparency by telling us how much he was paid to write it. Made deeply uneasy by the entitlement of America’s ruling class — an entitlement he himself took for granted as a child — he doesn’t have any extraordinary insight into why things are the way they are, or how they might be made otherwise. He relates these stories with a wince, though little in them seems all that groundbreakingly depraved. He and his Buckley schoolmates referred to the cafeteria workers by an unkind nickname. He once went to a wedding reception where there were four bars.

Persons: Nick McDonell, McDonell, —, Thomas Piketty, Anand Giridharadas, Buckley Organizations: Buckley, Harvard, Devon Yacht Club Locations: East Coast, Manhattan

☆ Gabon Joins Blue Bond Wave With $500 Million Debt Refinancing
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-15 | by ( Will Horner | ) www.wsj.com time to read: +6 min

Gabon completed mainland Africa’s first-ever “debt-for-nature swap” Tuesday, refinancing $500 million of its debt and earmarking $163 million in savings for marine conservation, the latest in a burgeoning list of “blue bond” deals. In their place, Gabon issued a $500 million blue bond which matures in 2038. The coupon on the new blue bond was priced at 6.097%, lower than the coupons on the repaid bonds which were between 6.625%-7%. TNC says its blue bond deals have provided $400 million toward conservation efforts. Bank of America, which served as sole initial purchaser, structuring agent and bookrunner on the Gabon deal, declined to reveal its transaction fees.

Persons: Gabon’s, Bond, ”, Ali Bongo Ondimba, TNC wasn’t, Scott Nathan, TNC, Will Horner Organizations: —, Sustainable Business, Moody’s Investors Service, U.S . International Development Finance Corporation, Conservancy, Greenpeace, Bank of America Locations: Gabon, Africa, U.S, Belize, Seychelles, Barbados, Ecuador, Galápagos, william.horner

☆ Global conservation mission sets sail from UK in Darwin's wake
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-15 | by ( Ben Makori | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/5] A general view of the ship 'Oosterschelde', launched by the planetary conservation mission DARWIN200, which is to set sail on August 15, in Plymouth, Britain August 11, 2023. The group will set sail on board a 105-year-old schooner on Tuesday from the southern English port of Plymouth, from where British naturalist Darwin's own expedition began in 1831, leading him to develop the theory of evolution by natural selection. The 40,000 nautical mile "Darwin200" expedition hopes to anchor in 32 ports, including all the major ports visited by Darwin's HMS Beagle. Throughout the journey, 200 selected young environmentalists will temporarily join the ship to be trained on conservation efforts. Patrons of the project include Darwin's great-great-granddaughter - the botanist Sarah Darwin - and British primatologist Jane Goodall.

Persons: Charles Darwin's, Darwin's, Stewart McPherson, McPherson, Sarah Darwin, Jane Goodall, Goodall, Sachin Ravikumar, William James, Nick Macfie Organizations: REUTERS, Thomson Locations: Plymouth, Britain, Handout

☆ Fernando Villavicencio assasination: How corruption and gang warfare transformed Ecuador
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-11 | by ( Tara John | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

But the high-profile assassination on Wednesday of presidential candidate Fernando Villavicencio could be a turning point for the country that has so far struggled to control the bloodshed. Ecuadorean presidential candidate Fernando Villavicencio ran on an anti-corruption platform prior to his death. Floundering authoritiesSecurity and state forces have been badly unprepared for the rise of criminal groups in the country. A a car transports the body of Ecuadorean presidential candidate Fernando Villavicencio on August 10. Last year, the US withdrew visas from high-ranking officers of Ecuadorian state security forces, alleged to be linked to drug trafficking, as well as several judges and lawyers.

Persons: CNN —, Fernando Villavicencio, ” Juan Pappier, Watch’s, “, Karen Toro, Laura Lizarazo, ”, ” Lizarazo, Ecuador’s, Guillermo Lasso, Lizarazo, Eric Farnsworth, –, Villavicencio –, El, Nayib Bukele, Luisa González, Rafael Correa, Vicente Gaibor del Pino Organizations: CNN, Customs, Border Patrol, Ecuadorian, Reuters, Lobos, of, Americas Society, Security Locations: Ecuador, ”, Peru, Colombia, Europe, Washington, Americas

☆ Travel Insurance: What It Covers and When to Buy It
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-09 | by ( Elaine Glusac | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

In the wake of Covid, travel insurance sales have spiked with the rebound in travel as people seek to protect their investments against flight delays and cancellations, extreme weather events and the persistence of the virus. But travel insurance is complicated with a range of benefits, inclusions and prices. Know what’s coveredGenerally speaking, travel insurance covers unforeseen events, like an illness in the family, the loss of a job or a natural disaster, that force you to cancel or interrupt a trip. Most polices also include medical coverage, which is useful abroad where your health insurance may not cover you. Insure nonrefundable expensesTravel insurance was designed to protect expenses you can’t get back any other way when things go wrong.

☆ Under a Hellish Ocean Habitat, Bizarre Animals Are Lurking
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-08 | by ( Robin George Andrews | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

But not all experts were so surprised by the discovery. “I think it makes perfect sense,” said Julie Huber, a marine geochemist and microbiologist at the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution in Massachusetts who wasn’t involved with the work. “The shallow subseafloor, where temperatures are likely cool enough for animals to survive, is what I think of as a ‘subseafloor conveyor belt’ for microbes, nutrients and, now, animals.”Much about these unusual habitats is a mystery. Deep below, the magmatic heat roasts percolating seawater, which jets back out into the water column as superheated, mineral-rich soups. Despite their extreme natures, these vents are metropolises of strange critters.

Persons: ”, Julie Huber, wasn’t Organizations: Oceanographic Locations: Massachusetts

LONDON/JOHANNESBURG, July 25 (Reuters) - Gabon launched what is set to be Africa's first debt-for-nature swap on Tuesday, with a plan to buy up at least $450 million of its government debt and switch it to an eco-friendly blue bond. The February 2031 maturity rose 2.203 cents to 83.702 cents and November 2031 maturity jumped 2.129 cents to 83.573 cents, compared to Gabonese government's offer to buy back the bonds for 85 cents per $1 of the bond. ,The 2025 maturity rose 1.194 cents to 95.4 cents, also still below the offer price of 96.75 cents.. Ecuador pulled off a record $1.1 billion debt-for-nature swap in May, freeing up $18 million annually for the next 20 years for conservation of the Galapagos Islands. The African Development Bank and European Investment Bank are interested in providing credit guarantees.

Persons: Marc Jones, Rachel Savage, Gerauds Wilfried Obangome, Karin Strohecker, Ed Osmond, Tomasz Janowski Organizations: London Stock Exchange, Republic, Industry, U.S . International Development Finance Corporation, African Development Bank, European Investment Bank, Bank of America, Thomson Locations: JOHANNESBURG, Gabon, Gabonese, Ecuador, Belize, Galapagos, Sri Lanka, Indian, Libreville

☆ She broke up with her boyfriend and moved in with a man she’d known for 3 weeks. Here’s what happened
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-21 | by ( Francesca Street | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +20 min

“As I come into the yard, I get greeted by two beautiful, amazing, fluffy dogs wagging their tails,” recalls Liesbet. “We talked a little bit – and a little bit turned into an hour,” recalls Liesbet. Liesbet Collaert“We went out for drinks,” recalls Liesbet, “Mark was a sailor and took us all out sailing. “I go up to the apartment door and the door was unlocked, which was a little bit odd,” recalls Mark. Liesbet CollaertAbout a month after she’d moved in with Mark, Liesbet flew with him to the East Coast to meet his family.

Persons: Liesbet Collaert, She’d, Karl, Liesbet, Karl’s, Nik, ”, Mark, “ Mark Kilty, “, He’d, –, hadn’t, she’d, he’d, ” Mark, “ Mark, “ Karl, Collaert Karl, – it’d, they’d, Here's, didn’t, you’d, ’, “ I’ll, couldn’t, Here's Liesbet, Liesbet’s, Liesbet Collaert Liesbet, “ You’re, Karl –, ’ ”, they’ve, Mark Kilty, we’ve, She’s, San Francisco – Organizations: CNN, “, CNN Travel, San, ” Locations: San Francisco , California, North America, Australia, Belgium, San Francisco, East Coast, California, Bay, Grenada, Mexico, Martinique, ., Mark’s, East, South America, Costa Rica, Central America, Panama, Texas, Honduras, Austin, Bahamas, Dominican Republic, Polynesia, Liesbet, St, Maarten, Tahiti, Cotopaxi, Ecuador

☆ At sweltering Phoenix Zoo, showers for owls and icy treats for monkeys
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-21 | by ( Liliana Salgado | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

REUTERS/Liliana SalgadoPHOENIX, July 21 (Reuters) - On Day 22 of temperatures in Phoenix exceeding 110 degrees Fahrenheit (43 Celsius), a Eurasian eagle owl enjoyed a prolonged shower on Friday while monkeys and horses ate icy treats, some laced with Gatorade. The Phoenix Zoo has come up with myriad ways to cool off animals in the historic record-breaking heat wave, including hose-downs, mister lines, cooling pads, ponds, mud water, fans and air-conditioned buildings. So this is one of the ways that we help them cool down in this heat," said zookeeper Leslie Lindholm. And over in Monkey Village, tiny squirrel monkeys pulled frozen treats out of buckets. Reporting by Liliana Salgado in Phoenix; Editing by Mary Milliken and Rosalba O'BrienOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Archie, Liliana Salgado PHOENIX, Lizzie Newman, zookeeper Leslie Lindholm, Jake, zookeeper Jyl Purdy, Amy Dietz, Liliana Salgado, Mary Milliken, Rosalba O'Brien Organizations: Phoenix Zoo, REUTERS, Gatorade, The Phoenix, Thomson Locations: Arizona, U.S, Phoenix, Europe, Asia, Belgian, Monkey

☆ 3 travel agents for the world's wealthiest people share exactly where the 1% are traveling this summer, from Botswana to the Côte d'Azur
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-20 | by ( Mark Ellwood | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +9 min

Summer travel can be done on a budget, but for the world's wealthiest people, no expense is spared. Top travel agents shared the hottest spots they're seeing this year, from Paros to the Côte d'Azur. Instead, look to the elite group of agents who help wrangle those jaunts and cater to the wealthiest, most demanding vacationers. Courtesy of John CliffordJohn Clifford in San Diego runs International Travel Management and has expertise with LGBTQ+ travel. Insider asked these travel professionals to share the secrets of where and how the richest 1% are vacationing in summer 2023.

Persons: they've, Jules Maury, Jules Maury Jules Maury, Scott Dunn, John Clifford, John Clifford John Clifford, Edward Granville ., Edward Granville Edward Granville, Granville, Maury, I've, Clifford, he's, Côte, they're, We've, Rod, it's, Paros, It's, Cosme, Parilio, Avant, she's, she'd, Milos Organizations: Côte, Service, San Diego, Travel Management, d'Azur, Porto Heli, Italy, Avant Mar, HBO, Domenico Palace Locations: Paros, Wall, Silicon, San, Red Savannah, London, COVID, Europe, Cannes, France, Africa, Botswana, Namibia, Botswana's Okavango Delta, Kenya, Porto, Greece, Italy, Spain, Athens, Amalfi Coast, Rome, Sicily, Domenico

☆ ‘For the Love of the Water’: Tours for the Swimming-Obsessed
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-15 | by ( Elaine Glusac | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

During the pandemic, when Miriam Leitko couldn’t swim because pools were closed, the lifelong swimmer built a lap pool at her home in Willis, Texas. As soon as travel restrictions were lifted in 2021, she signed up for a weeklong trip to Hawaii with SwimVacation, a Maine-based tour operator that specializes in open-water swimming. “Open-water swimming becomes energizing,” said Ms. Leitko, 64, who has taken 12 trips with the company. The tours, she said, allow her to leave her stress “literally in the ocean.”Summer vacations are often built around the pleasures of cannonballing into a lake or splashing in the ocean. In contrast, these tours build trips around organized swims that might involve diving among sea lions in the Galápagos, swimming island to island in the Adriatic or gliding over coral reefs in the Caribbean.

Persons: Miriam Leitko couldn’t, ”, Leitko, Hopper McDonough Locations: Willis , Texas, Hawaii, SwimVacation, Maine, Caribbean, Turkey

☆ Several shark species are facing extinction. Here’s how you can help
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-11 | by ( Cnn Impact Your World | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

But many species of these aquatic apex predators are now in danger of dying out forever. Of the thousand known species of sharks and rays (sharks’ closest living relatives), over a third of them are at risk of extinction. And since sharks are “indicators of ocean health,” as sharks go, so does the delicate balance of marine ecosystems. A 2021 report showed over the last 50 years, global shark and ray populations have fallen more than 70%. Listed as threatened under the Endangered Species Act, oceanic whitetip shark numbers in the Pacific Ocean have fallen an estimated 80 to 95% within the last 30 years, according to NOAA.

Persons: They’ve, ”, Reinhard Dirscherl, Nick Dulvy, “, Ocean Foundation It’s Organizations: CNN, “ Sharks, Rays, NOAA, Ocean Foundation Locations: Texas

☆ First debt swap Galapagos projects could be approved next year, minister says
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-30 | by ( Alexandra Valencia | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

QUITO, June 30 (Reuters) - Conservation projects in the Galapagos Islands funded by so-called blue bonds will be approved from next year by an independent body, Ecuador's Environment Minister Jose Davalos said. The independent non-profit Galapagos Life Fund (GLF) will manage the funds, Davalos told Reuters on Thursday. "Next year the GLF could begin to receive projects, rate them and assign the first funds to finance them," Davalos said. "This is a private fund that will administer money that is given or donated for the conservation of the Galapagos." The fund could finance projects in fishing, tourism, environmental education and the management of the Galapagos ocean reserve, which was expanded last year.

Persons: Jose Davalos, Davalos, Charles Darwin's, Guillermo Lasso, Alexandra Valencia, Julia Symmes Cobb, Elaine Hardcastle Organizations: Life, Reuters, Resources, Thomson Locations: QUITO

☆ UNESCO member countries ready to welcome US back to organisation
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-29 | by ( John Irish | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

The member states will make their decision at an extraordinary session on Thursday and Friday. "This comes after a lot of work to persuade, educate and explain on the current realities of UNESCO," Azoulay, who is French, told reporters, adding that she had personally lobbied U.S. lawmakers for several months. At this stage there are no negotiations for its return, Azoulay said. Its return to UNESCO was enabled after a waiver from the U.S. Congress earlier this year. Azoulay said China had responded at UNESCO to the potential U.S. return by saying it should be constructive and not oppose one state.

Persons: Donald Trump, Audrey Azoulay, Washington's, Azoulay, John Irish, Jonathan Oatis Organizations: Trump, PARIS, United Nations, U.S . State Department, UNESCO, Reuters, United Nations Educational, Cultural Organization, U.S, Congress, Thomson Locations: States, US, United States, Israel, Paris, U.S, Timbuktu, Jerusalem, Washington, Palestine, China

What lies at the bottom of the oceanWhile what’s considered the deep ocean extends from 3,280 feet to 19,685 feet (1,000 meters to 6,000 meters) beneath the surface, deep-sea trenches can plunge to 36,000 feet (11,000 meters), according to the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution in Massachusetts. Alessandro Mancini/Alamy Stock PhotoWhy mapping the ocean is so challengingFrom a strictly scientific perspective, touristic trips to the ocean floor do little to advance our understanding of the ocean’s mysteries. “We want to go to the highest, the lowest, the longest.”But only a “very small percentage of the deep ocean, and even the middle ocean, has been seen by human eyes — an infinitesimal amount. “However, 150 years of modern oceanography have led to better understanding of many aspects of the ocean such as the life it contains, its chemistry and its role in the Earth system.”Mapping the ocean “helps us to understand how the shape of the seafloor affects ocean currents, and where marine life occurs,” Rogers added. Researchers say the ocean and the life it contains could provide answers to some of medicine’s biggest challenges, such as antibiotic drug resistance.

Persons: ”, Gene Feldman, Jamie Pringle, Pringle, Cornelis Drebbel, Auguste Piccard, Feldman, ” Feldman, Jacques Piccard, Don Walsh, what’s, “, Robert Ballard, Alvin, Ballard, Alessandro Mancini, Alamy, Alex Rogers, ” Rogers Organizations: CNN, National Oceanic, Atmospheric Administration, Oceanographic, NASA, OceanGate Expeditions, England’s Keele University, bathyscaphe, Keystone, Hulton, NOAA, Bluegreen, Sea Ventures, of Ocean Exploration, Research, University of Oxford Locations: Cape Cod , Massachusetts, Washington, Dutch, Trieste, bathyscaphe Trieste, Italy, Massachusetts, Japan, United Kingdom

☆ The ‘breakout travel trend’ of the decade: What to know about expedition cruising
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-13 | by ( Helen Iatrou | Chris Dwyer | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +7 min

Instagram posts — which often showcase trips to Antarctica — may have given expedition cruising more publicity, but this form of cruising isn't new. Today, there is stiff competition among expedition cruise lines to launch more technologically advanced vessels and to secure onboard talent. Source: Aurora ExpeditionsNoah Brodsky, chief commercial officer of Lindblad Expeditions-National Geographic, described expedition cruising as the "breakout travel trend of the decade." Expedition cruising is also a good option for the growing number of solo travelers. "Unfortunately, this has meant the new expedition cruise ships have become larger and the expedition experience itself has been sacrificed," he told CNBC.

Persons: LIND, Costa, Greg Mortimer, Carlo Raciti, Bronwyn Stephenson, Aurora expeditioner, Lindblad, Mensun, Robert Bindschadler, Hayley Peacock, Gower, Aurora's Hayley Peacock, Noah Brodsky, James Cole, Hillary, Cousteau, Shackleton, Cole, Xers, hadn't, Carl Raciti, Andrew Marsh, Commandant Charcot, Stefanie Schmudde Organizations: Aurora Expeditions, Panama's UNESCO, Expeditions, Lindblad Expeditions, NASA, Aurora, Geographic, CNBC, Expedition, Cruisers, Environmental, Abercrombie, Kent Locations: Australia, Panama, Costa Rica, Aurora, Antarctica, Its, Greenland, Alaska, Galapagos, French Polynesia, Western, Kimberley, Central, South America

☆ Natural evolution: Record Galapagos deal sparks clamour for eco-friendly debt swaps
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-09 | by ( Marc Jones | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

The growing appetite comes as record numbers of developing world governments face debt pressures due to higher global interest rates. There have been around 140 over the past 35 years, but even including last month's super-sized Galapagos deal they have only involved around $5 billion of debt altogether. The top-level attendees will be urged to do more, not only debt swaps, but also by providing foreign exchange guarantees and automatic debt-payment breaks for countries hit by climate-related disasters. "Seeing something that has a group of countries involved would be amazing," Issa said. Ecuador says it is eyeing another transaction to capitalise on the halo effect from the Galapagos deal.

Persons: Ramzi Issa, Charles Darwin's, Issa, Ilan Goldfajn, Scott Nathan, Nathan, Emmanuel Macron, Mia Mottley, Suisse's Issa, Simon Jessop, Sharon Singleton Organizations: Ecuador, Credit Suisse, Inter, American Development Bank, U.S . International Development Finance Corporation, Reuters Graphics, Thomson Locations: Ecuador, Belize, Barbados, Gabon, Paris, Sri Lanka, Indian, Colombia, Costa Rica, Panama, Kenya, Mozambique, Tanzania, Seychelles

☆ Travel news: Best airlines, city break inspirations and ambitious bridges
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-03 | by ( Maureen O'Hare | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

CNN —In CNN Travel’s latest news roundup, we bring you the world’s best airlines for 2023, city break inspiration from Texas to Mongolia to Ecuador and why China might have overstretched itself by building a 15-mile, $6.7 billion bridge. Air New Zealand – which just topped a list of 2023’s best airlines – is on the case by asking all of its international departing travelers to hop on the scales as part of a passenger weight survey, the results of which are thankfully anonymous. Destination inspirationPop quiz: What was the world’s first capital city be listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site? And now that the country’s president has vowed to revitalize the city, the future’s looking bright, too. Here’s our roundup of 20 of the world’s best nude beaches.

Persons: CNN —, CNN Travel’s, Genghis, Kublai, it’s, Richard Linklater’s, Matthew McConaughey’s, San, Trevi Fountain, Venice, ”, Mount Everest’s Organizations: CNN, Air, Zealand, Federal Aviation Administration, Airbus, UNESCO, Developers, Pride Locations: Texas, Mongolia, Ecuador, China, United States, America, Rome, Athens, Quito, Inca, Karakorum, Austin , Texas, Bay Area, San Francisco, New York, Rwanda, Kigali, Dubai, Nantucket, Mount

☆ Peter Grant Has Documented Evolution in Action
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-03 | by ( Emily Bobrow | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Around two million years ago, a group of birds from South America flew 600 miles west to make their home on the Galápagos Islands. They belonged to a single species, but by the time Charles Darwin arrived in the Galápagos in the 1830s he found nearly 10 different species, with beaks of various shapes and sizes. He deduced that the birds, now known as Darwin’s finches, developed these differences to keep from competing for the same food: pointy beaks were better for catching insects, broad beaks were handy for cracking seeds.

Persons: Charles Darwin Organizations: South America Locations: South, Galápagos

☆ Quito: Ecuador’s underrated capital city was the first to become a UNESCO site
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-22 | by ( Sandra Macgregor | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

CNN —It’s hard not to feel a little sorry for the Ecuadorian capital of Quito. Singular churchesInside the Spanish colonial church of San Francisco in the city center of Quito. The museum even puts on a variety of shows, including a karaoke night of traditional Ecuadorian song. It’s especially busy at lunchtime when it fills to capacity with locals looking to indulge in affordable traditional Ecuadorian cuisine. Guided toursMetropolitan Touring’s “Live Quito Like a Local” walking tour is great for visitors with only a day or two to explore Quito.

LONDON, May 9 (Reuters) - Ecuador sealed the world's largest "debt-for-nature" swap on record on Tuesday, selling a new "blue bond" that will funnel at least $12 million a year into conservation of the Galapagos Islands, one of the world's most precious ecosystems. Tuesday's $656 million "Galapagos Bond," as it has been dubbed, will run until 2041 and gave investors that bought it a 5.645% "coupon" or interest rate, its bankers said. Ecuador sovereign bonds currently yield from 17% to 26%, but the new bond has an $85 million 'credit guarantee' from the Inter-American Development Bank and $656 million of political risk insurance from the U.S. International Development Finance Corp (DFC), effectively making it less risky. The driver has been the remote Galapagos Islands, some 600 miles (970 km) off Ecuador's mainland coast, that inspired Charles Darwin's Theory of Evolution. Scott Nathan, the chief executive of DFC, said people needed to "stay tuned" for similar deals in other countries and the Galapagos deal had been a long time coming.

☆ Ecuador Strikes a Landmark Deal to Save Nature, and Some Cash
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-09 | by ( Catrin Einhorn | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: 1 min

The NewsEcuador announced a record-setting deal on Tuesday designed to reduce its debt burden and free up hundreds of millions of dollars to fund marine conservation around the Galápagos Islands, an archipelago of unique biodiversity that’s famous for inspiring Darwin’s theory of evolution. The arrangement, known as a debt-for-nature deal, is a bit like refinancing a mortgage, only for government bonds. Gustavo Manrique Miranda, the Ecuadorean foreign minister, called it a historic agreement that takes into account the value of nature. He said Ecuador was as wealthy as any of the richest countries in the world, “but our currency is the biodiversity.”

☆ Ecuador frees cash for Galapagos conservation with $1.6 bln bond repurchase
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-05 | by ( Rodrigo Campos | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

NEW YORK, May 4 (Reuters) - Credit Suisse repurchased Ecuadorean sovereign notes worth $1.6 billion in face value, the country's bankers said on Thursday, freeing cash for conservation of the unique Galapagos Islands in the biggest debt-for-nature swap ever struck. The buyback will free cash that Ecuador will put into conservation of its Galapagos Islands, one of the world's most precious ecosystems and the inspiration for Charles Darwin's Theory of Evolution. The offer, laid out by Credit Suisse late last month, amounts to the biggest debt-for-nature swap, as such transactions are known in banking circles, struck to date. The move has a political crisis as backdrop, as the National Assembly is in the middle of an impeachment process against President Guillermo Lasso for alleged embezzlement, allegation Lasso denies. Reporting by Rodrigo Campos; Editing by Sandra MalerOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Ecuador launches debt buyback plan aimed at Galapagos protection
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-26 | by ( Marc Jones | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

[1/4] A pelican is seen on Santa Cruz Island, part of the Galapagos Islands, Ecuador. REUTERS/Santiago ArcosLONDON, April 26 (Reuters) - Ecuador has launched a long-awaited debt buyback plan that will free up money to protect its Galapagos Islands, one of the world's most precious ecosystems and the inspiration for Charles Darwin's Theory of Evolution. "The Offeror is making the Offer... as part of a broader refinancing operation to channel savings and promote certain conservation and sustainability efforts," the buyback plan said. The operation is private, the country's finance ministry said in a message to journalists, and cannot be discussed. Reporting by Marc Jones; Editing by Sandra MalerOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

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