The world will only be able to see Darwin's Arch through photos

The world will only be able to see Darwin's Arch through photos

One of the most famous natural stone arches in the world on the Galapagos Islands, Ecuador has collapsed into the sea. The Ecuadorian Ministry of Environment on May 18 confirmed that the arch of Darwin's Arch, located in the northern part of the Galapagos Islands, had collapsed as a result of "natural erosion".

Darwin's arch collapsed, leaving only two main stone pillars (Photo: Aggressor Adventures)

Images of the structure of this famous stone archway, which currently consists of only two pillars, were posted on the social media accounts of the Ecuadorian Ministry of Environment along with a statement confirming: "The Fall of the Arch Darwin rock, an attractive natural 'bridge' less than a kilometer from the main area of ​​Darwin Island, has been reported".

According to the Ecuadorian Ministry of Environment, the Darwin Arch is made up of natural rock that may have been part of Darwin Island in the past.

Darwin Arch when intact is always an attractive place for tourists who love diving (Image: AP)

Darwin Arch is 43m high, 70m long and 23m wide - less than 1km from Darwin Island and is considered one of the most beautiful diving spots of this Pacific archipelago. Darwin's Arch cannot be reached by road.

Commenting on the event, Mr. Washington Tapia, Conservation Director of the Galapagos Sanctuary said: “Clearly all the people from the Galapagos feel nostalgic because it's something we've been familiar with since childhood. It was a shock to know that it had changed.”

“But from a scientific point of view, the collapse was part of a natural process. The collapse is certainly due to exogenous processes such as weathering and erosion that are common on our planet,” added Washington Tapia.

A UNESCO World Heritage Site, the Galapagos Islands are known for their many endemic species of flora and fauna that were the famous inspiration for Darwin's theory of evolution. Darwin Arch located in this conservation area has always been an attractive destination for tourists from all over the world in their natural discovery journey.

Travel agency Aggressor Adventures, which organizes group trips to various destinations around the world, announced on Facebook that a group of company visitors witnessed the incident of the arch of the Gate. Darwin's arch collapsed.

A group of scuba diving tourists from ecotourism company Aggressor Adventures witnessed the collapse of Darwin's Arch (Image: Aggressor Adventures)

“Unfortunately today, the Galapagos Aggressor III guest group experienced a once-in-a-lifetime event. At 11:20 a.m. local time, the world-famous Darwin Arch collapsed right in front of them.

"Some in the diving and tourism sectors still call these 'Pillars of Evolution'. We will miss this iconic site very much," the company said.

Immediately after this unfortunate event, on the morning of May 19, Hollywood actor Leonardo DiCaprio and also an environmental activist released a statement on his personal social networking site about the conservation of the Galapagos Islands.

Accordingly, DiCaprio pledged to support 43 million USD for extensive conservation projects in this archipelago such as restoring Floreana island, home to nearly 54 species of rare and endangered animals; programs to recreate 13 extinct animals, including the Floreana mockingbird; strengthen measures to protect the Galapagos marine resources against human impacts and ecotourism activities.