COMMUNITY

COMMUNITY

We recognize that research and action are most impactful and successful when part of a larger community, which is why over the past 10 years the GSC has shown a long-term commitment to the communities of the Galapagos to better understand the complex interactions among people and the environment in which they live.

CONNECTING WITH NATURE

The Connecting with Nature Program is a set of outreach activities with the Galapagos community, executed by the Galapagos Science Center with the support of the Galapagos Conservation Trust.

Since 2019, the program has developed activities to promote interest in science and conservation, share the progress of research promoted by the Galapagos Science Center, and encourage the participation of community members for the benefit of the protection of species, island ecosystems, and habitats.

The main objectives of the Connecting with Nature Program are to engage all ages in the community, including children, youth, and adults, and encourage them to protect the Galapagos biodiversity and strengthen their commitment to conservation.

This program has been successful by creating awareness, empowering, motivating action, and engaging people of all ages, through a variety of activities:

Reading session
with Marti

Children from the community develop reading skills, generate awareness and critical thinking about the dangers facing marine species, strengthen the values ​​of coexistence such as empathy, respect, and conservation values ​​necessary for the protection of our species.   

Reading session
with Marti

Children from the community develop reading skills, generate awareness and critical thinking about the dangers facing marine species, strengthen the values ​​of coexistence such as empathy, respect, and conservation values ​​necessary for the protection of our species.   

Family Science

Events where topics related to scientific research carried out in Galapagos are disseminated to the community through simple language. Local, national, and foreign expert guests help deliver messages in a dynamic space that encourages Galapagos families to embrace conservation through their actions and lifestyle.

Family Science

Events where topics related to scientific research carried out in Galapagos are disseminated to the community through simple language. Local, national, and foreign expert guests help deliver messages in a dynamic space that encourages Galapagos families to embrace conservation through their actions and lifestyle.

Shark Day

Aims to publicize the importance of protecting this essential species for the health of marine ecosystems. Informative and recreational activities are used to interact with the local community. 

Shark Day

Aims to publicize the importance of protecting this essential species for the health of marine ecosystems. Informative and recreational activities are used to interact with the local community. 

Galapagos DNA Sessions

Promote the learning of new methodologies used in the field of conservation, generate interest among young people in the community towards science, and provide professional development that also motivates the community to protect the biodiversity of the islands. 

Galapagos DNA Sessions

Promote the learning of new methodologies used in the field of conservation, generate interest among young people in the community towards science, and provide professional development that also motivates the community to protect the biodiversity of the islands. 

IMPACT

We have successfully managed to involve various community actors through all phases of our project. Throughout these phases, we have reached a total of 3927 community members benefiting as of January 2022. Since 2019, Connecting with Nature has therefore benefited 1,137 children, 33 local and provincial teachers, 2,683 members of the community, 28 students from USFQ Galapagos, and 46 university professors and researchers.

The Connecting with Nature Program has been well received by the community of San Cristobal, Santa Cruz, and Isabela islands, and continental Ecuador.  

We hope to also expand activities to reach Floreana Island and more of continental Ecuador, and move towards other countries of the Tropical Eastern Pacific marine corridor. 

We will continue to motivate our children, youth, and adults towards small positive changes, for the benefit of conserving the biodiversity of the Galapagos and its fragile ecosystems. 

We thank all those who make it possible for these activities to continue for the well being of all!

For more information please click the video below:

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In 2022, the Galapagos Science Center (GSC) and the broader UNC & USFQ Galapagos Initiative will celebrate its 10th Anniversary. We are proud to announce the World Summit on Island Sustainability scheduled to be held on June 26–30, 2022 at the Galapagos Science Center and the Community Convention Center on San Cristobal Island.

The content of the World Summit will be distributed globally through social media and results documented through papers published in a book written as part of the Galapagos Book Series by Springer Nature and edited by Steve Walsh (UNC) & Carlos Mena (USFQ) as well as Jill Stewart (UNC) and Juan Pablo Muñoz (GSC/USC). The book will be inclusive and accessible by the broader island community including scientists, managers, residents, tourists, and government and non-government organizations.

While the most obvious goal of organizing the World Summit on Island Sustainability is to celebrate the 10th Anniversary of the GSC and the UNC-USFQ Galapagos Initiative, other goals will be addressed through special opportunities created as part of our operational planning of the World Summit.

For instance, we seek to elevate and highlight the Galapagos in the island conservation discourse, seeking to interact with other island networks in more obvious and conspicuous ways to benefit the Galapagos Islands, the UNC-USFQ Galapagos Initiative, and the world. We will seize the opportunity to further develop the I2N2 – International Islands Network-of-Networks. Further, we wish to highlight and emphasize multiple visions of a sustainable future for the Galapagos Islands and we cannot do this alone. Therefore, engaging the Ecuadorian Ministry of Environment, the Ministry of Tourism, the Government Council of Galapagos, the Galapagos National Park, and local Galapagos authorities, including government and non-government organizations and local citizen groups, is imperative.

The Galapagos Science Center on San Cristobal Island, Galapagos

Borrowing from Hawaii’s and Guam’s Green Growth Program and the Global Island Partnership, we wish to examine existing global programs that emphasize island sustainability and their incorporation into life, policies, and circumstances in the Galapagos Islands. We will also seek to enhance our connections with the institutional members of our International Galapagos Science Consortium and expand the Consortium through the recruitment of other member institutions. We will also work to benefit islands and their local communities by working with citizen groups as well as important NGOs who seek to improve the natural conditions in the Galapagos and diminish the impact of the human dimension on the future of Galapagos’ ecosystems.

Lastly, we will use the World Summit to benefit UNC & USFQ and our constituencies through a strong and vibrant communication plan about the World Summit, creating corporate relationships as sponsors, identifying funding goals through donors, and benefiting our study abroad program for student engagement in the Galapagos Islands. We plan to develop and issue a Galapagos Sustainability Communique after the World Summit that includes the vision and insights of all its participants for a sustainable Galapagos with applicability to global island settings.

We are eager to hear your perspective and have you join us at the World Summit on Island Sustainability!