Galápagos Conservation: The World's Most Ambitious Rewilding
The Galápagos National Park — covering 97% of the islands' land area — and its conservation programme represent the world's most ambitious island conservation effort; the tortoise recovery, the invasive species removal, and the marine reserve management are models for global conservation
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Invasive Species Crisis
The biggest threat to the Galápagos is invasive species – rats, cats, goats and plants introduced since the 18th century have devastated native wildlife; the eradication of feral goats from the islands of Isabela and Pinta (the largest extermination of goats in history) is a conservation triumph
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Turtle Subspecies Recovery
There are 15 giant tortoise subspecies in the Galápagos — 3 are extinct, the others at varying levels of risk; Darwin Station's captive breeding program has produced over 6,000 turtles that have been bred and returned to their islands; the recovery of the subspecies Española from 14 to 2,000 individuals is the world's most successful reptile conservation
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Galápagos National Park History
Galápagos National Park was established in 1959 — the centenary of Darwin's On the Origin of Species; the park covers 97% of the land area; UNESCO's World Heritage List (1978) and Biosphere Reserve status have strengthened the legal protection framework
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Visitor Management
Galápagos manages tourism through strict controls – the number of visitors is limited, the landing sites are limited and all visitors must be accompanied by licensed guides; the system balances conservation with the economic reality that the 30,000 inhabitants of the Galápagos are largely dependent on tourism
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Marine Reserve Enforcement
Enforcement of the Galápagos Marine Reserve – against illegal fishing, especially for sea cucumbers and sharks – is ongoing and dangerous; park rangers and coast guard vessels patrol the vast reserve; the conflict between artisanal fishing rights and marine conservation is one of the park's most complex management challenges
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Climate Change Impact
El Niño events – intensified by climate change – have dramatically affected Galápagos wildlife; The 1982-83 and 1997-98 El Niños killed 70% of marine iguanas and sea lions; the long-term climate change trend threatens the cold Humboldt Current that makes the Galápagos ecosystem possible