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An article in today's Daily Telegraph by its Brazil correspondet, Robin Yapp, describes how :"Scientists in the Galapagos Islands, which inspired Charles Darwin's theory of evolution, have launched a major project to save native species under threat from thousands of invasive rats.

Ten tons of 'cookies' laced with poison bait, which will entice rats but repulse other wildlife such as sea lions, birds, marine iguanas and sea turtles, were dumped from a helicopter during two fly-overs.

Black rats and Norway rats, which were introduced to the islands via pirates' ships in the 17th century, pose a significant threat to several of the unique Galapagos species.

They eat the eggs and hatchlings of turtles and Galapagos giant tortoises, spread disease and are capable of climbing to feed on the eggs of tree-nesting birds.

In all they have endangered some 50 bird species, including the Galapagos petrel, a seabird that breeds in excavated tunnels on high islands only in the Galapagos.
Galapagos National Park Service launched the "full-scale assault" against the rats with help from other organisations, including the Charles Darwin Foundation.

Felipe Cruz, director of technical assistance at the foundation, said invasive species pose the "greatest threat to nature in the Galapagos"

But scientists who carried out the helicopter drops say the operation went "extremely well" and monitors have already identified dead rats on the rocky terrain."

For the full article, please click here..

We are delighted to announce that David Shukman will be our guest speaker at this year's Galapagos Day.

David Shukman has been the BBC's Environment and Science Correspondent since 2003, and he has reported from locations that reach every corner of the globe including the Arctic, the Amazon and the Galapagos Islands.

He has covered climate change on many assignments and during his travels he has also experienced GCT's two other priority areas for conservation in Galapagos - Island Restoration and Social Issues.
 
Please click here to read an article about Galapagos and a video on Lonesome George by David.

David's work has won him several awards, he is the author of two books and numerous articles.
 
Visiting the Islands, as part of the Darwin 200 anniversaries he reported 'that according to conservationists, the Galapagos Islands face irreversible damage unless tourism is curbed'.

The number of tourists has reached a record of 173,000, a four-fold increase over the past 20 years and the rising numbers have led to a boom in the construction of hotels and a surge in imports from mainland Ecuador.  Increases in tourism result in increasing alien species reaching this once remote place and the temptation to migrants from the mainland population to reap the financial benefits remains.

"The Galapagos is still the best preserved archipelago in the world.  But what's at stake if current trends continue is that the Galapagos will be lost.  Yes the Galapagos will still be there but the richness will be lost."  From an interview with Dr G Lopez, Executive Director of the Charles Darwin Foundation.

The Charles Darwin Foundation's Restoration Group Coordinator, Dr Mark Gardener, is featured in the 18 March edition of Science magazine, published by the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS).  The article by Gaia Vince entitled Embracing Invasives, describes how conservationists are beginning to manage highly-disturbed ecosystems as biodiversity strongholds.   

According to GCT's chief executive Toni Darton: "Mark Gardener is trying to find ways to enable biodiversity and ecosystem services to be maximised and intervention minimised in the inhabited islands of Galapagos. Mark recognises that some uninhabited islands are in a near original state and entirely protected.  These islands are obviously different from the inhabited islands which have been highly modified, especially in the humid highlands.

"Mark goes on to say, in the article, that a  further challenge is marrying biodiversity and human needs to meet future conditions such as climate change and continuing human development through food cultivation and recharging groundwater.

"These are priority areas within GCT's 15 Steps to Help Save Galapagos and we believe that Galapagos could act as a model for the world in achieving this balance."

The Science article can be viewed here.

The Charles Darwin Foundation (CDF) has appointed  Dr. Volker Koch as its new Director of Marine and Coastal Sciences.

The Galapagos Conservation Trust's chief executive, Toni Darton, said:: "Dr. Koch  is a   marine ecologist who brings over 15 years' experience working on the ecology of coastal communities, marine trophic system dynamics, conservation biology and mollusk aquaculture. He will make, I'm sure, a valuable addition to CDF's expertise in conserving Galapagos."

After obtaining his doctorate in Marine Ecology from the University of Bremen in 1999, Dr. Koch served for 11 years as Investigative Professor at Mexico's University of Baja California Sur working with under- and postgraduate students, and for a time heading the Postgraduate Studies Department.  He has designed investigative research programs on sea turtle ecology and conservation, on the development of small-scale sustainable aquaculture in coastal communities, and participated in numerous interdisciplinary projects throughout Latin America.

"Being part of CDF," said Dr. Koch, "is a new challenge in my career.  I aim to contribute with my professional experience to developing sound science in close collaboration with the Galapagos National Park and the people of Galapagos in support of natural resource management and sustainable development in the archipelago."

The Director of Marine and Coastal Sciences is responsible for the direction, design and implementation of CDF projects carried out in the Galapagos Marine Reserve which are closely allied with the overall scientific endeavor of the organization.  He will also work with the CDF executive and departmental directors in the strategic development of the Foundation's long-term objectives.

CDF Executive Director, Dr. J. Gabriel López, welcomed Dr. Koch as a new member of the executive management team and notes that: "The experience and broad trajectory Dr. Koch brings to our team will be highly valuable in working with our partners the Galapagos National Park, ministries and agencies of the Government of Ecuador, and with the Galapagos community, in implementing sound monitoring, management and conservation strategies in the Galapagos marine ecosystems."

Dr. Koch succeeds Dr. Matthias Wolff who has resumed his professorship after three successful years with the CDF.
 

The owner of a Santa Cruz hotel has described to a New Zealand magazine how, upon his return from the evacuation to high ground, he found his his hotel had been damaged by a 2m high tsunami which "took the dining area, kitchen and six rooms out."
National Business Review