Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
A great guide for birds is A Field Guide to
the Birds of the Galápagos by Michael
Philip Harris (Collins).
Conservation & the Environment
The Galápagos ecosystem has remained relatively intact
compared to many other tropical tourist destinations, pri-
marily due to international conservation efforts and the Ec-
uadorian government's realization of this national
(financial) treasure. Nevertheless, significant environmen-
tal degradation has occurred over the last two centuries.
Historically, the main direct assault against individual
wildlife species was from hunting, while a more general at-
tack on entire ecosystems continues from introduced plants
and animals.
Darwin was fortunate to witness the abundance of giant
Galápagos tortoises during his visit. Since then, whalers
and colonists have decimated populations of the precious
namesake animal. During the 19th and 20th centuries, well
over 100,000 tortoises were killed for oil and meat, particu-
larly for long seafaring voyages. Introduced animals, in-
cluding goats, dogs, pigs, and black rats took their toll as
well. Pigs destroyed tortoise nests to devour the eggs, rats
ate hatchlings, and dogs could break through shells of tor-
toises that were up to several years old, while goats directly
compete with tortoises for food.
In 1959 the Charles Darwin Research Station began an in-
tensive protection, captive-rearing, and reintroduction pro-
gram. This project has successfully returned many
tortoises to their original islands. Unfortunately, the other
major threat - that from introduced animals - persists, as
eradication programs that focus on feral pigs, dogs, rats,
and goats have had mixed success. Today, fewer than
15,000 tortoises survive and three (soon four) of the 14 sub-
species are extinct.
The Galápagos land iguanamet with a similar fate. Darwin
wrote of this creature during his visit, “I cannot give a more
forcible proof of their numbers, than by stating that when
we were left at Santiago Island, we could not for some time
find a spot free from their burrows onwhich to pitch our sin-
gle tent.” This particular colony is now extinct. The culprits
were dogs, cats, pigs and goats. Emergency rescue efforts
with other nearly decimated populations, again by the aid
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