Conservation

There are three key issues when it comes to conservation, do you know what these are?

Although 97% of the land area of Galapagos is protected as a national park, it suffers from some serious conservation problems.

Early settlers brought in domestic animals and plants which have spread across large parts of the archipelago. Some of these animals have now become wild or 'feral', and are having a detrimental effect on the native flora and fauna. Goats compete for grazing with native herbivores such as tortoises and iguanas, and on some islands have devastated the natural vegetation. Feral dogs and cats prey on iguanas and sea bird chicks. Rats and pigs eat the eggs of tortoises, turtles and sea birds.

Some introduced plants are also seriously threatening the survival of native species.

Personnel from the National Park and the Research Station have waged campaigns to eradicate these alien species for many years, but the process is difficult and expensive, especially on the larger islands. One example of this is breeding endangered species in captivity and then returning them to the wild to help boost populations.

More recently, illegal fisheries for sharks, lobsters, and sea cucumbers have been operating in the marine reserve, not as local artisanal fisheries but for export to countries in the Far East and elsewhere, many of which are also funding the operations. This has highlighted the need for effective patrolling of the National Park and Marine Reserve. Many of the solutions are expensive and funds are urgently needed.

To find out more about the current conservation projects, please click here.

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