Ecuador's government has banned most fireworks from the Galapagos archipelago due to nervous stress caused to the islands' wildlife from the sounds of explosions.
Officials announced the ban on Friday, just days before New Year's celebrations that traditionally see fireworks exploding across Latin America.
Lorena Tapia is the president of the Government Council of Galapagos. She says on her official Twitter account that the new rule bars the entry, sale and distribution of any fireworks that cause noise on the archipelago's 13 main islands and at least 17 islets that lie about 1000 kilometres out in the Pacific.
The tweet adds: "This is a gift for Ecuador and the world."
Officials say luminous pyrotechnics that do not produce any sound will still be allowed.
Australian Associated Press