CURRENT PROGRAMMES
For the last thirteen years, the Galapagos Conservation Trust has provided funds and support for a whole range of conservation projects and programmes run by our local partners - mainly the Charles Darwin Foundation and the Galapagos National Park.
Currently we are raising funds for a number of projects, some of which are listed below. You will also find more projects relating to the Galapagos Marine Reserve in our Shark Campaign. If you would like to support these projects by making a donation, please visit Online donation, or write to us at 5 Derby Street, London W1J 7AB. If you would like to discuss making a significant contribution to these or any other projects for Galapagos we would be delighted to talk this through in more detail with you. Please don't hesitate to contact the GCT office on +44 (0)20 7629 5049 or via email gct@gct.org
Thank you very much for your support.
Restoring the natural balance on each of the main islands remains a conservation priority within the Galapagos archipelago. The island of Pinta has been devoid of tortoises since its last inhabitant, Lonesome George, was taken into captivity in 1972 and all attempts to find others have been unsuccessful. Feral goats have been successfully removed from Pinta, and the natural vegetation has started to recover, but without tortoises it will be an unbalanced recovery. Tortoises have a major impact on the structure and composition of their environment, increasing germination rates and dispersing seeds. Grazing maintains open areas, and without them Pinta's vegetation is suffering and some plant species are starting to crowd others.
There is an urgent need to manage the ecosystem properly and as it is a tortoise-dominated, tortoise-evolved landscape, the Charles Darwin Foundation and Galapagos National Park have come up with an ambitious alternative. Later this year the hope is to release dozens of baby Espanola tortoises from pens at the Charles Darwin Research Station (CDRS) onto the uninhabited island. The Espanola species of tortoise has been shown by DNA analysis to be the closest relative to the Pinta species. It was also close to extinction but has been very successfully bred in captivity.
Our objectives are:
- To introduce around 50 tortoises each year, between the ages of 5 and 10 years old, from the successful breeding programme at the CDRS.
- Following strict quarantine, to track the tortoises by satellite technology, allowing scientists to study how they colonise the island and the impact they have on the island's vegetation.
- To share the results of this groundbreaking project with conservationists around the world.
When will it start? The hope is to start as early as July 2008.
How much will it cost? £29,000
Funds raised so far: £5,600
Amount left to raise: £23,400
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The central electricity generation system in Santa Cruz island runs on diesel fuel. In addition to the well-known planet-wide issues of using non-renewable, fossil-fuel derived energy, its use in the Galapagos Islands causes additional problems of resource use and the risk of introduced species that related to the need to import the fuel by boat to the islands. Recent increases in both human population and demand for electrical energy mean that the Galapagos Electricity Company foresees serious problems in meeting the existing level of demand.
In 2006, the Charles Darwin Foundation received a grant from Japan to begin the process of converting the CDRS buildings to renewable solar energy. The next phase of this important project is to install solar panels and wiring to power the 100 personal computers at CDRS, making a significant contribution to reducing reliance on non-renewable energy sources and to reducing environmental hazards affecting Galapagos.
Our objectives are:
- To support CDF's plans to convert their own buildings from conventional to solar energy
- To instal panels and wiring to enable the laptops used by staff, volunteers and visiting scientists to run from solar energy.
- To reduce the use of environmentally hazardous, conventional (thermoelectric) energy to power the CDRS offices and laboratories on Santa Cruz island.
- To provide an example for the local population in the use of solar energy in place of conventional energy.
- To promote the use of clean, sustainable energy in the interests of environmental conservation.
- To redirect resources from overhead costs to science and conservation in Galapagos.
When will it start? As soon as sufficient funds are available.
How much will it cost? The total costs of these installations will amount to £75,000, but each building can be treated separately, which means that this work can begin with as little as £5,000.
Funds raised so far: £0
Amount left to raise: £75,000
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In Galapagos, Whitetip reef sharks (known locally as 'tintoreras') are encountered very close to populated areas that support high numbers of visitors throughout the year. Some of these areas have been classified as 'no take' areas, which means that the number of boats and visitors in the water can be regulated. However, many areas have still to be classified and so do not have such restrictions. The identification of breeding areas and the monitoring of population in coastal areas are important areas of research. Breeding and growth parameters are poorly understood and yet essential for shark conservation.
Our objectives are to:
- Identify all individual Whitetip reef sharks within a specified area to monitor movement patterns, growth and reproduction
- Use this information to identify key feeding and breeding sites
- Extend the shark tagging programme to include more Whitetip reef sharks and additional sites
- Record daily and seasonal movement patterns and identification of home ranges of Whitetip reef sharks
Why is it so important? Who will it benefit?
Whitetip Reef Sharks are a valuable part of the fragile ecosystem of the Galapagos Islands. It is currently listed by the World Conservation Union (IUCN) as 'Near Threatened' due to restricted habitat and depth range, small litter size and late age maturity, as well as increased fishing pressure.
Data from this project will also enable the Galapagos National Park to determine what international collaborations need to be arranged to enhance the protection already given to these creatures when they are in the Marine Reserve.
When will it start? The project started in 2007 and the hope is to extend it throughout 2008.
How much will it cost? £16,000
Funds raised so far: £8,094
Amount left to raise: £7,906
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Many young Ecuadorian scientists do not have the necessary qualifications to move forward in their careers. Galapagos scientists need to have a PhD to rise to positions of responsibility. At the Charles Darwin Foundation, all the more senior scientists are American or European. By funding one Ecuadorian student for 3 years we enable them to achieve a PhD and rise to a more senior scientific position at the CDF. In this way we are helping young Galapaguenos by giving them the power to affect the future of their own environment and future.
We have already given ad-hoc support to some PhD students from the Galapagos and Ecuador studying in the UK, at Kew Gardens, Cardiff and Oxford Universities. We would now like to formalise and reinforce this British/Ecuadorian knowledge-transfer process.
We have funded a PhD student for 3 years at Imperial College in London and he is currently studying the management of invasive species and particularly the multicolored lantana Lantana camara.
Why is it so important? Who will it benefit?
Science for conservation in the Galapagos is important because the work done by the Charles Darwin Foundation and the Galapagos National Park to protect the biodiversity of the Galapagos Islands is unique. What to protect and how best to go about it depends on scientific knowledge, careful study and interpretation of data. The funding requested will cover one student for a three-year period, helping them to become a leader of their own future.
Funding PHD students at the Charles Darwin Foundation will help us to work together in order to preserve these unique and beautiful islands for all their inhabitants and for the world.
How much will it cost? £25,000 per year for three years
Funds raised so far: £3,756
Amount left to raise: £71,244
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British citizen, Sylvia Harcourt has been involved in research in the Galapagos islands since 1978 and was an assistant to the director of the Charles Darwin Research Station from 1986 to 1989. In the 2006 New Year's Honours list, Sylvia was awarded an MBE for her services to conservation and education.In celebration of Sylvia's recognition by HM The Queen, the Galapagos Conservation Trust launched a special fund aimed at raising funds to help protect the unique bird life of the Galapagos. Sylvia has had a long-time interest in the protection of the mangrove finch - one of the 22 species of endemic land birds in Galapagos and one of the most endangered.
The Galapagos Islands are home to some of the most beautiful birds on earth - flightless cormorants, blue and red footed boobies and, of course, the famous Darwin's finches that are sometimes referred to as inspiring Darwin to write his theory of evolution. Like most oceanic archipelagos, the birdlife is characterised by a small number of species, but many of these are found nowhere else on earth and have very small populations. Of the 100 or so species of birds that either breed in the Galapagos or occur there regularly (including migrants), some 13 species and subspecies occur nowhere else and at the same time have populations that are less than 1500 individuals or are restricted to a single island. Of the approximately 51 species of land and shorebirds occurring in the islands, nine (18 percent) are endangered. To date, however, no species of bird has become extinct in the Galapagos, in contrast with other island groups that have seen numerous wiped out.
Some species, such as the mangrove finch (Cactospiza heliobates), the Galapagos petrel (Pterodroma phaeopygia), the flightless cormorant (Nannopterum harrisi), and the Galapagos penguin (Spheniscus mendiculus), among others, are threatened, in part, due to reduced populations and fluctuating reproductive success.
On the inhabited islands, there are endemic land birds that are facing a critical situation. Tree finches (Certhidea olivacea and Camarhynchus psittacula), the Galapagos dove (Zenaida galapagoensis), vermilion flycatcher (Pyrocephalus rubinus), and the Galapagos rail (Laterallus spilonotus) are increasingly rare on the inhabited islands.
A combination of natural effects (such as El Niño) with human-induced factors could drive the Galapagos penguin and other marine bird species with small populations to extinction in a relatively short period of time.
Galapagos birds are already under threat from:
- Introduced rats and cats that eat eggs and chicks
- Potential introduction of West Nile virus and Avian flu
- Destruction of habitat
- An introduced parasitic fly (Philornis downsi) that is attacking Darwin's finches
Why is this important?
The Sylvia Harcourt-Carrasco Bird Life Fund has already raised over £4,000 and this has helped to fund a research programme into control methods for Philornis downsi.
Whilst making a significant contribution there is much more research, control and management of invasive species and habitat restoration that is urgently needed to ensure that none of these iconic endemic species get pushed towards extinction.
Please help us protect the birdlife of Galapagos by becoming a Patron (£500 donation); Honorary Supporter (£100 donation) or an Honorary Friend (£50 donation) to the fund. Visit Bird Life Fund to make an online donation, or contact the GCT office by emailing gct@gct.org or phoning 020 7629 5049.
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