Dancing with systems: participatory mapping for a paradigm shift beyond growth in the Galápagos Islands

Overtourism is an increasing global concern, particularly on islands where growth pressures intensify ecological sensitivity. The Galápagos Islands in Ecuador exemplify this challenge, having experienced a 260% increase in tourist arrivals over two decades. Despite conservation-orientated legal frameworks, tourism growth has exacerbated social inequities, strained infrastructure, and intensified resource use. Scholars are increasingly advocating for a paradigm shift beyond growth, yet there is a lack of empirical research on how to access or facilitate such paradigms. This study addresses this gap using participatory systems mapping workshops complemented by 50 semi-structured interviews with stakeholders across the Galápagos. Using the iceberg model as an analytical framework, findings reveal how governance fragmentation, human–nature divides, inequitable investment, and disjointed communication function as underlying system structures sustaining growth-orientated outcomes. Analysis of stakeholder mental models shows divergent perceptions of growth and its management, shaping the legitimacy of policy responses. By collectively transforming system maps toward desired futures, participants identified key leverage points, including enhanced collaboration, participation, transparency, and accountability. Ultimately, findings reveal how the use of creative systems-thinking methods can not only model complexity but also enable participants to “dance with systems” and access and articulate deep paradigms essential for any regenerative transformation.