News

On the 4 May, the Galapagos Exhibition launched at Bluecoat, Liverpool. This is the culmination of work from the Gulbenkian Galapagos Artist Residency Programme from the partnership between GCT and the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation.

Check out the review of the exhibition on the New Scientist website by clicking here. Find out more about the project and the Artists involved by clicking here.

This week in Galapagos, a workshop is underway on Floreana with the involvement of the Prince's Foundation's Galapagos Initiative. The importance of long term sustainability plans for development is essential for the protection of the Archipelago, not least on Floreana, the smallest populated island with only 150 people living there.

The workshop aims to provide a collaborative approach for planning and design processes by combining expert technical knowledge with local knowledge from within the community. This is intended to involve all stakeholders in order to produce the most successful and sustainable strategies for things such as building materials and supply chains, food security, community tourism and plans for land use. The outcomes of this workshop that is supported by GCT and Galapagos Conservancy, USA, have the potential to not only ensure the sustainable development of Floreana but also to be used as a model for conservation elsewhere in the world. 

A big thank you to all who have been getting involved with our Love George Appeal - we are hoping that your kind words and donations will be making George feel a little less lonely. The competition to send George your messages will be open until the end of February so keep 'em coming and give an old tortoise some love! See the great messages we have had so far here for a quality Valentine's laugh!

Meanwhile, over in Galapagos, we were lucky enough to get hold of George's keeper, Fausto Llerena at the Charles Darwin Research Station. We asked him a few questions about life with George:

GCT: Hola Sr. Llerena! How long have you known George for?

FL: I've known Lonesome George for many years - since I was part of the expedition that brought him from Pinta island in 1972. From 1983, I started caring for him at the Tortoise Raising Center of the National Park, till now.

GCT: What's your favourite thing about looking after George?

FL: I like to take care of George because he is friendlier than the other tortoises. He is always attentive at my arrival and approaches me and lifts his head to greet me. We understand each other very well, although we do not use any words.

GCT: How would you describe George's personality?

FL: Friendly and attentive with me, he is jealous of his space and food though, with the other tortoises that share the corral! Every time we carry out some work in the corral, he is always next to me.

Aww - enough to melt any heart! Please check back in at the Love George site for some special Valentine's Day additions and help us to celebrate Lonesome George, the greatest known conservation (and now Valentine's) icon in the world. Your donation will help us to continue to support the projects for Galapagos Giant Tortoise conservation as well as protecting the future of other critically endangered Galapagos animals.

Give instantly by texting LOVE39 £X (X = your donation amount between £1 and £10) to 70070. For other ways to support our appeal click here. Thank you for your support and love for George and Galapagos!

Hold the Press! 'Extinct' Galapagos Giant Tortoise Found on Isabela

This week, researchers led by a team from Yale University have reported that there is a strong possibility that the Floreana tortoise (Chelonoidis elephantopus) may well still be surviving - on Wolf Volcano in the northern part of Isabela.

The Floreana tortoise was thought to have become extinct 150 years ago, soon after Darwin's famous Beagle voyage. In the 18th - 19th centuries, island visitors including pirates and whalers had a heavy impact on tortoise numbers but also moved tortoises between the Islands, most likely as a portable food source. This has now resulted in a mix of different populations in areas like Wolf Volcano that were a popular stop off point with sailors.

After a small number of hybrid tortoises were discovered on Wolf Volcano, a study was launched in 2008 to collect blood samples from the tortoise population in order to analyse the DNA and establish the various origins of the tortoises. After some dedicated fieldwork, 1,669 individuals were sampled.

It has been reported this week that 84 of these tortoises were found to be hybrids with an extremely high possibility that one parent was a pure bred Floreana tortoise. 30 of these individuals were under 15 years old suggesting that it is highly likely that there is at least one pure bred Floreana tortoise still wandering around on Wolf Volcano!

The Galapagos National Park is now set to embark on a rescue mission for the Floreana tortoise - a task that could never have been predicted at the beginning of Project Floreana (a key project funded by GCT). Stay tuned for updates on this exciting news!

The Minister of the Environment and the Mayor of San Cristobal have inaugurated a new sewage and water treatment plant which will benefit the whole community. Waste disposal is a key issue in sustainable development especially for a growing population and this improved system is a positive step for a more sustainable future.

Until now 70% of the population of San Cristobal depended on a sewage system which discharged directly into the sea, creating both a potential health hazard and an ecological danger. The new plant uses the latest technology combining a physico-chemical treatment of water with an aerobic sludge activator, a high-volume and pressure blower, filters and silencers, a disinfectant raft connected to the plant  and a pumping system.

A proportion of the water will be re-used for municipal ecological gardens. The rest of the water will be discharged into the sea in accordance with the latest health standards for marine ecosystems.

- Galapagos National Park