It’s a simple fact that not everyone on Earth could ever visit the Galapagos islands. Even if the infrastructure and legal issues were resolved, the size of the islands themselves would be the limiting factor. Certainly all natural beauty would be trampled under the feet of billions of humans.

It would be an environmental disaster if everyone tried to visit the Galapagos islands.

So, Ecuador comes up with a ceiling, an upper limit, on the number of tourists to maintain and care for the natural environment while still allowing for lucrative tourism.

This “upper limit” applies to every location that we can visit.

Divide the “opportunities for peaceful enjoyment” of nature by the size of the population. That’s your diminishing Little Slice of Happiness.

As populations grow, everyone’s ability to enjoy nature is diminished by less places to enjoy and more people visiting the places that are available.

I have been fortunate enough to visit the Galapagos islands. I read Darwin during the trip. I am very grateful for having had that opportunity.