IT is a paradise on Earth, one of the most important wildlife havens on the planet and the wilderness which gave Charles Darwin the ideas for his ground-breaking theory of evolution.

Ever since the 19th Century naturalists set foot on the Galapagos Islands in 1835, man has treasured them as one of the most precious places on the globe, their unique flora and fauna worthy of the very highest protection.

Which makes it all the more ironic that some of those animals are now threatened by an entirely man-made ecological disaster.

The incident began earlier this month when the tanker Jessica ran aground off the island of Sante Fe, 600 miles from Ecuador.

Since then the stricken Ecuadorian vessel has belched out 170,000 gallons of diesel, adding the name Jessica to an international list of maritime shame, which includes Exxon Valdez, Amoco Cadiz and Torre Canyon, all of which caused hugely damaging pollution incidents.

The disaster has highlighted the danger posed to wildlife by man in the pursuit of commercial gain and led some to question the wisdom of allowing tankers to sail so close to important areas.

The Galapagos archipelago comprises 13 main islands created when the Pacific Ocean seabed erupted five million years ago to create a wilderness of volcanoes.

Since then its wildlife has been able to develop largely without the intervention of man so that today, as with many of the world's isolated islands, it contains many unusual species, some of them unique.

What makes the Galapagos special is the staggering number and variety, including giant tortoises which can live for 200 years, four-foot long marine iguanas, flightless cormorants and finches.

It was Darwin who first realised the importance of the islands when he visited them on his survey ship HMS Beagle. Through studying the wildlife he developed his theory that life evolves naturally rather than by the hand of God.

The 13 species of Galapagos finches, for example, have all developed different shaped beaks depending on their food. Most amazing is the woodpecker finch which uses twigs or pieces of cactus to winkle out insects from rotten trees.

That the islands have such a varied wildlife is remarkable. The finches were carried on the wind but land-based animals such as tortoises and iguanas probably arrived by floating 1,000 miles from Central and South America on vegetation. Ironic, then, that the very waters which brought them to the island now threaten some of the wildlife.

The slick is unlikely to kill already endangered creatures such as the miniature Galapagos penguin, flightless cormorants and tortoises because they live well away from the danger.

But creatures in the sea around the islands of Sante Fe and San Cristobal are already at grave risk, primarily the globally important marine turtles.

Also under threat are hundreds of sea lions - some of which have already been coated in diesel - and Galapagos National Park biologist Mauricio Velasquez says the fuel could sink to the ocean floor, destroying algae that is vital to the food chain and threatening marine iguanas, sharks and birds.

But which animals live and which animals die is not really the issue; what the Jessica incident highlights is the thoughtlessness with which man regards wildlife.

On the Galapagos, for instance, 17th Century whalers slaughtered giant tortoises in their thousands for food, seal-hunters almost wiped out the fur seals and the descendants of wild dogs, cats, goats and rats introduced by settlers damaged the unspoiled nature of the wilderness.

And then there has been the disturbance caused by the thousands of well-meaning tourists who head for the Galapagos to witness at first hand some of the most famous animals on the planet.

Large numbers of naturalists are working to protect the animals on land but as with so many important coastal habitats, the main threat comes from the sea.

The world's oceans are largely unregulated and unpoliced and it is still far too easy for oils and toxins to find their way into waters which have long been regarded as a dumping ground.

Yesterday Peter Kramer, Director Network Relations for international wildlife organisation WWF, says it is urging the government of Ecuador to speed up legislation to protect the wildlife of the islands, which has been passed but not yet enacted.

Mr Kramer, who used to live on the islands, says WWF is concerned that vessels like the Jessica - which is not double-hulled - could sail close to the Galapagos.

Speaking from Switzerland, he says: "Our worry is that vessels such as the Jessica can enter the archipelago. This is not a unique case and we feel the world's shipping should be better regulated.

"With sensitive places like the Galapagos we have to be careful and systems have to be in place which are totally foolproof."

The fears were supported yesterday by North-East naturalist Professor David Bellamy, the chairman of the Galapagos Foundation which works to preserve the island habitat.

While paying tribute to the government of Ecuador and other agencies which are working to prevent a disaster, he says that to some extent all people can do is "keep our fingers crossed".

It could be man's motto.