CDF's technical director, Felipe Cruz, took part in E-Day 2009 in the Isles of Scilly earlier this year. You can see Felipe on YouTube below.
November 2009 Archives
Coinciding with the 150th anniversary of the publication of Darwin's On the Origin of the Species, The Guardian Weekly's website featured an article by GCT's chief executive, Toni Darton, on its front page.
In the article Toni describes her passion for Galapagos: "Whilst I have always taken an active interest in the natural world it was my passion for Galapagos that actually brought me to this role. I had wanted to visit Galapagos for many years and when I achieved this dream in 2005 I saw at first hand how amazing yet how fragile the Islands are and the work going on to conserve them. I signed up as a member of the Galapagos Conservation Trust (GCT) and the rest as they say is history."
Please click here to see the complete article.
In the article Toni describes her passion for Galapagos: "Whilst I have always taken an active interest in the natural world it was my passion for Galapagos that actually brought me to this role. I had wanted to visit Galapagos for many years and when I achieved this dream in 2005 I saw at first hand how amazing yet how fragile the Islands are and the work going on to conserve them. I signed up as a member of the Galapagos Conservation Trust (GCT) and the rest as they say is history."
Please click here to see the complete article.
English Heritage is asking people to to help track down Charles Darwin's missing Galapagos notebook which contains the scientist's on-the-spot observations and which would prove invaluable when he was later writing the groundbreaking On the Origin of Species, published 150 years ago today (24 November).
The notebook went missing - it was possibly stolen around the early 1980s from the home of Charles Darwin, Down House in Kent, before the house came under the care of English Heritage.
GCT Ambassador and Charles Darwin's great-great grandson, Randal Keynes, supports the English Heritage appeal. "Our family always felt that the best Darwin material should be at Down House so that the public could see it in his home. The Galapagos notebook is of outstanding value for the history of science. If Darwin had not posed the questions in that notebook, he might never have written On the Origin of Species. The notebook was almost certainly stolen around the 1980s. But I am hopeful that it is only a matter of time before it resurfaces and when it does, it must be returned to English Heritage and Down House."
The notebook went missing - it was possibly stolen around the early 1980s from the home of Charles Darwin, Down House in Kent, before the house came under the care of English Heritage.
GCT Ambassador and Charles Darwin's great-great grandson, Randal Keynes, supports the English Heritage appeal. "Our family always felt that the best Darwin material should be at Down House so that the public could see it in his home. The Galapagos notebook is of outstanding value for the history of science. If Darwin had not posed the questions in that notebook, he might never have written On the Origin of Species. The notebook was almost certainly stolen around the 1980s. But I am hopeful that it is only a matter of time before it resurfaces and when it does, it must be returned to English Heritage and Down House."
GCT has been awarded a highly commended honour for its calendar in the first annual Professional Fundraising magazine's competition for the Charity Calendar of the Year.
Please click here to order GCT's 2010 calendar and see the visually stunning images and design for yourself.
GCT was just pipped by British Heart Foundation's targeted in-memoriam calendar to the top award.
Judges were impressed with the beautiful images used by GCT in its entry, but what made it stand out was the way that the calendar was also used to educate supporters about the work the charity does, and its reminding of supporters of different ways they can support the trust.
Although the Calendar of the Year competition did not initially intend to award highly-commended honours, the quality and quantity of entries forced judges to nominate a list of several high-performing calendars, both overall and in special categories.
Celina Ribeiro, deputy editor of Professional Fundraising and one of a panel of four judges, said: "The breadth of calendar styles and charities represented in the competition was extremely impressive.
"However, while we had no plans initially to release a list of highly commended calendars, the quality of many other entries - either in terms of the way they related the product back to the charity's work, the way they encouraged supporters to get involved or simply because they were exceptionally well-designed - meant that we have had to release an extensive list.
"The Galapagos Conservation Trust calendar was a visually stunning product. Judges, however, were moved to highly commend the entry because not only was it a nice, clean design, but it engaged the trust's supporters in the work of charity and encouraged them to do more to support it.
"Calendars are a very traditional, and often overlooked, part of a charity's fundraising and awareness raising programme, which is why this year Professional Fundraising decided to celebrate the humble calendar by awarding a Charity Calendar of the Year title."
Please click here to order GCT's 2010 calendar and see the visually stunning images and design for yourself.GCT was just pipped by British Heart Foundation's targeted in-memoriam calendar to the top award.
Judges were impressed with the beautiful images used by GCT in its entry, but what made it stand out was the way that the calendar was also used to educate supporters about the work the charity does, and its reminding of supporters of different ways they can support the trust.
Although the Calendar of the Year competition did not initially intend to award highly-commended honours, the quality and quantity of entries forced judges to nominate a list of several high-performing calendars, both overall and in special categories.
Celina Ribeiro, deputy editor of Professional Fundraising and one of a panel of four judges, said: "The breadth of calendar styles and charities represented in the competition was extremely impressive.
"However, while we had no plans initially to release a list of highly commended calendars, the quality of many other entries - either in terms of the way they related the product back to the charity's work, the way they encouraged supporters to get involved or simply because they were exceptionally well-designed - meant that we have had to release an extensive list.
"The Galapagos Conservation Trust calendar was a visually stunning product. Judges, however, were moved to highly commend the entry because not only was it a nice, clean design, but it engaged the trust's supporters in the work of charity and encouraged them to do more to support it.
"Calendars are a very traditional, and often overlooked, part of a charity's fundraising and awareness raising programme, which is why this year Professional Fundraising decided to celebrate the humble calendar by awarding a Charity Calendar of the Year title."
On November 9th and 10th, the Municipal Government of Isabela, alongside local public and private organizations, unions and associations, and the Charles Darwin Foundation (CDF), participated in an inter-institutional public meeting to continue development of Isabela's "Plan for Municipal Development 2020," as this project entered its second phase.
During the meeting, in which 90 persons participated, different topics affecting the municipality were discussed, reflecting four axes of sustainable development: social, environmental, economic, and organizational. Roles each institution would play in helping to reach the vision of a better Isabela in 2020 were also discussed.
Daniel Rivas, Coordinator of Technical Assistance at CDF, explained the methodology used in developing the Plan at the meeting. Enrique Ramos, CDF's Coordinator of Participation, gave examples of common problems facing communities that live on islands, with special emphasis on the issues most relevant to Galapagos.
The third phase to further develop the Plan for Municipal Development, consisting of meetings with local technical experts from public and private organizations as well as associations and unions, will take place at a later date. CDF will be responsible for facilitating the meetings, in the process strengthening local capabilities and responsibilities.
CDF has served as an advisor to the Isabela Municipal Government since 2008, and has supported the execution of several projects. Its goal has been to build local capacity and foment inter-institutional participation under a model of sustainable socio-economic and environmental development for Galapagos.
photo: CDF
During the meeting, in which 90 persons participated, different topics affecting the municipality were discussed, reflecting four axes of sustainable development: social, environmental, economic, and organizational. Roles each institution would play in helping to reach the vision of a better Isabela in 2020 were also discussed.
Daniel Rivas, Coordinator of Technical Assistance at CDF, explained the methodology used in developing the Plan at the meeting. Enrique Ramos, CDF's Coordinator of Participation, gave examples of common problems facing communities that live on islands, with special emphasis on the issues most relevant to Galapagos.
The third phase to further develop the Plan for Municipal Development, consisting of meetings with local technical experts from public and private organizations as well as associations and unions, will take place at a later date. CDF will be responsible for facilitating the meetings, in the process strengthening local capabilities and responsibilities.
CDF has served as an advisor to the Isabela Municipal Government since 2008, and has supported the execution of several projects. Its goal has been to build local capacity and foment inter-institutional participation under a model of sustainable socio-economic and environmental development for Galapagos.
Analysis of DNA from the two small remaining populations of Floreana mockingbird mimus trifasciatus and from historic specimens held by the California Academy of Sciences and the Natural History Museum, including the two collected by
Charles Darwin and Captain Robert FitzRoy in 1835, has revealed the genetic structure of both living and past populations.
Scientists believe this research can help inform a plan for reintroduction of the bird to Floreana Island, supported by GCT's Donate A Darwin campaign, as part of a larger recovery plan for the whole island now being developed by the Charles Darwin Foundation for the Galapagos Islands and Galapagos National Park Service.
GCT's chief executive, Toni Darton, said: "This is a very welcome development and shows once again how modern science is playing such a key role in conserving Galapagos. It hopefully takes up one step closer to saving this critically endangered species. Our Donate A Darwin campaign to restore the island of Floreana and return the Floreana Mockingbird to its native habitat is playing an important role in helping CDF achieve this aim."
When Darwin visited the Galapagos archipelago in 1835 aboard HMS Beagle, he was struck by the differences between closely similar birds on separate islands. In particular, the mockingbirds he saw and collected on Charles Island (now Floreana) were obviously distinct and consistently different from those he had collected on San Cristobal where HMS Beagle first landed. Later, as Darwin examined his collection on the voyage home, the differences between the mockingbirds led him to question the stability of species. Just half a century after Darwin's visit, the Floreana mockingbird had become extinct on the island as a result of introduced predators and habitat alteration following human settlement. Today it is one of the rarest birds in the world. Fewer than 500 individuals survive on the two tiny, satellite islands of Gardner-by-Floreana and Champion and the species is considered at risk of extinction.
Innovative genetic modelling has been used by researchers, led by the University of Zurich and including the University of Reading, the Natural History Museum and Princeton University. They have discovered the surviving populations on the small satellite islands of Champion and Gardner-by-Floreana do not have long independent evolutionary histories. In fact, they split from each other perhaps as recently as Darwin's visit and probably as the result of the extinction of the Floreana population - a bridge between the two.
Although the population on Champion is small and inbred, it harbours unique genetic information not found in today's larger Gardner-by-Floreana population, but present on Floreana in 1835. The authors conclude, in a paper published in the Royal Society Journal Biology Letters on 18 November 2009, that birds from both islets should be used to reintroduce a single, mixed population on Floreana, where the bird went extinct in the 1800s.
Dr Karen James, postdoctoral researcher at the Natural History Museum said, 'Though Darwin knew nothing of DNA, the specimens he and FitzRoy collected have, after 170 years of safe-keeping in collections, yielded genetic clues to suggest a path for conservation of this critically endangered and historically important species. This project highlights the value of historic specimens and it's exciting to think that they are telling us which birds should form the basis of a reintroduction programme so that future visitors can enjoy the wildlife of these unique islands as Darwin himself did.'
Lukas Keller and Paquita Hoeck of the Zoological Museum of the University of Zurich have been working with the Charles Darwin Foundation for the Galapagos Islands and Galapagos National Park Service to assess the genetic diversity of Galapagos mockingbirds, with a focus on the Floreana mockingbirds, for the purpose of informing a reintroduction strategy as part of the overall Floreana Project.
Paquita Hoeck says, 'We all very much hope that the implementation of the reintroduction plans will be successful and secure the long-term survival of this critically endangered species. The Floreana mockingbird is not only of great historical importance, but also simply delightful to watch because of its tameness and incredible curiosity. It will be wonderful when the inhabitants and tourists in the Galapagos finally get the chance to observe these birds on the inhabited island of Floreana.'
Floreana, photo:Cornell University
Scientists believe this research can help inform a plan for reintroduction of the bird to Floreana Island, supported by GCT's Donate A Darwin campaign, as part of a larger recovery plan for the whole island now being developed by the Charles Darwin Foundation for the Galapagos Islands and Galapagos National Park Service.
GCT's chief executive, Toni Darton, said: "This is a very welcome development and shows once again how modern science is playing such a key role in conserving Galapagos. It hopefully takes up one step closer to saving this critically endangered species. Our Donate A Darwin campaign to restore the island of Floreana and return the Floreana Mockingbird to its native habitat is playing an important role in helping CDF achieve this aim."
When Darwin visited the Galapagos archipelago in 1835 aboard HMS Beagle, he was struck by the differences between closely similar birds on separate islands. In particular, the mockingbirds he saw and collected on Charles Island (now Floreana) were obviously distinct and consistently different from those he had collected on San Cristobal where HMS Beagle first landed. Later, as Darwin examined his collection on the voyage home, the differences between the mockingbirds led him to question the stability of species. Just half a century after Darwin's visit, the Floreana mockingbird had become extinct on the island as a result of introduced predators and habitat alteration following human settlement. Today it is one of the rarest birds in the world. Fewer than 500 individuals survive on the two tiny, satellite islands of Gardner-by-Floreana and Champion and the species is considered at risk of extinction.
Innovative genetic modelling has been used by researchers, led by the University of Zurich and including the University of Reading, the Natural History Museum and Princeton University. They have discovered the surviving populations on the small satellite islands of Champion and Gardner-by-Floreana do not have long independent evolutionary histories. In fact, they split from each other perhaps as recently as Darwin's visit and probably as the result of the extinction of the Floreana population - a bridge between the two.
Although the population on Champion is small and inbred, it harbours unique genetic information not found in today's larger Gardner-by-Floreana population, but present on Floreana in 1835. The authors conclude, in a paper published in the Royal Society Journal Biology Letters on 18 November 2009, that birds from both islets should be used to reintroduce a single, mixed population on Floreana, where the bird went extinct in the 1800s.
Dr Karen James, postdoctoral researcher at the Natural History Museum said, 'Though Darwin knew nothing of DNA, the specimens he and FitzRoy collected have, after 170 years of safe-keeping in collections, yielded genetic clues to suggest a path for conservation of this critically endangered and historically important species. This project highlights the value of historic specimens and it's exciting to think that they are telling us which birds should form the basis of a reintroduction programme so that future visitors can enjoy the wildlife of these unique islands as Darwin himself did.'
Lukas Keller and Paquita Hoeck of the Zoological Museum of the University of Zurich have been working with the Charles Darwin Foundation for the Galapagos Islands and Galapagos National Park Service to assess the genetic diversity of Galapagos mockingbirds, with a focus on the Floreana mockingbirds, for the purpose of informing a reintroduction strategy as part of the overall Floreana Project.
Paquita Hoeck says, 'We all very much hope that the implementation of the reintroduction plans will be successful and secure the long-term survival of this critically endangered species. The Floreana mockingbird is not only of great historical importance, but also simply delightful to watch because of its tameness and incredible curiosity. It will be wonderful when the inhabitants and tourists in the Galapagos finally get the chance to observe these birds on the inhabited island of Floreana.'
The Charles Darwin Foundation (CDF) Board of Directors has named Pablo Iturralde Barba, an active
member since 2006 who has been serving as the organization's treasurer, as its new president. Iturralde is a native of Quito and has held a
number of executive positions at Ecuadorian firms, environmental NGOs,
and health organizations.
A lifelong lover of the planet and its
natural and cultural diversity, he is currently a university professor
and project consultant.
More than 60 members of CDF gathered together on 12 November from all five continents to hold the Foundation's thirty-eighth General Assembly in Puerto Ayora.
Over a three-day period, the membership, executive team, and special guests debated crucial conservation and sustainable development issues and were informed of the Annual Operating Plan and the projects CDF will be carrying out as of January 2010. A review was presented of CDF's work over the last 50 years that highlighted the important contributions the organization has made and continues to make in its mission to advise the Ecuadorian government and local institutions on archipelago management based on sound scientific research.
At the conclusion of the Assembly, CDF's executive director, Dr. J. Gabriel Lopez, expressed his complete satisfaction with the success of the annual general meeting and its unequivocal endorsement of CDF's new strategic directions. He reaffirmed the need to face the new threats and challenges for Galapagos and the Foundation in the endeavor to advance conservation and sustainability. Dr. Lopez stressed that "our work now enters the most important and challenging phase in our history. Galapagos is at a crossroads, with a narrow window of opportunity to act decisively in setting the archipelago on a sustainable path. The next few years will be critical."
The other officers of the CDF Board of Directors are Peter Kramer, vice president; Silvia Harcourt, secretary; and Barbara West, treasurer.
photo: Charles Darwin foundation
More than 60 members of CDF gathered together on 12 November from all five continents to hold the Foundation's thirty-eighth General Assembly in Puerto Ayora.
Over a three-day period, the membership, executive team, and special guests debated crucial conservation and sustainable development issues and were informed of the Annual Operating Plan and the projects CDF will be carrying out as of January 2010. A review was presented of CDF's work over the last 50 years that highlighted the important contributions the organization has made and continues to make in its mission to advise the Ecuadorian government and local institutions on archipelago management based on sound scientific research.
At the conclusion of the Assembly, CDF's executive director, Dr. J. Gabriel Lopez, expressed his complete satisfaction with the success of the annual general meeting and its unequivocal endorsement of CDF's new strategic directions. He reaffirmed the need to face the new threats and challenges for Galapagos and the Foundation in the endeavor to advance conservation and sustainability. Dr. Lopez stressed that "our work now enters the most important and challenging phase in our history. Galapagos is at a crossroads, with a narrow window of opportunity to act decisively in setting the archipelago on a sustainable path. The next few years will be critical."
The other officers of the CDF Board of Directors are Peter Kramer, vice president; Silvia Harcourt, secretary; and Barbara West, treasurer.
The Charles Darwin Foundation commemorated in advance, on 30 October, the 150th anniversary of the publication (24 November) of
Charles Darwin's seminal work, On the Origin of Species by Means of Natural
Selection. The commemorative event took place at the Smithsonian National
Museum of Natural History in Washington, DC.Felipe Cruz, Director of Technical Assistance at the CDF, delivered a presentation titled "Conservation Activities in Galapagos and Challenges of the Future" during the event, in which the 200th anniversary of Charles Darwin's birth and the 50th anniversary of the founding of the CDF were also celebrated.
The Ecuadorian embassy in the United States, represented by Ambassador Luis Gallegos, also attended the event, as did Johannah Barry, the president of Galapagos Conservancy, a Friend of Galapagos Organisation that offers ongoing support to the archipelago from the US.
