Project Floreana

Linking ecosystem restoration with the lives and aspirations of local residents

Project Floreana is the first scheme to restore the whole of a human-populated island in Galapagos.  Floreana Island is located in the south of the Archipelago and was the first island in Galapagos to be settled on by humans.  

Since the early 1800s, the presence of humans has resulted in habitat destruction, species loss and the introduction of invasive species.  The Charles Darwin Foundation and Galapagos National Park are taking a holistic approach to removing introduced species, working with the local population and restoring all of the factors that make up its ecosystem in order to return Floreana to its original state.  Using this new holistic approach to conservation in Galapagos, Project Floreana will link ecosystem restoration with the lives and aspirations of local people, and integrate ecosystem restoration into the livelihoods of inhabitants.

This multifaceted project has been broken down into smaller projects and GCT has already funded research into the conservation of the critically endangered Floreana Mockingbird and also an Education Project to improve the quality of life for native people via improved education and job opportunities.  GCT has also fully funded a project entitled "On the Origin & Demise of Species" that complements the education on the Island. This ambitious project will continue in the coming years and GCT continues to be its biggest funder.  Click here to read a recent report on Project Floreana in our latest newsletter, UK News. 

Please help us to continue to support this groundbreaking project, including saving one of the rarest birds in the world, by supporting Project Floreana.  To make a donation, please click here.