Photo: Joshua Vela
One of USFQ’s main contributions in Galápagos lies in its commitment to holistic education through transformative experiences. In this context, the Host Family Program stands out as an international cultural immersion initiative that allows foreign students to integrate into the daily life of the local community.
Through financial support of universities and the private sector, the REACCT+ project is strengthening six local businesses on San Cristóbal Island.
During this special season, we would like to wish you a Merry Christmas and a prosperous New Year. We invite you to explore the news, insights, and achievements that reflect our collective efforts to strengthen conservation and promote sustainable development in the Galápagos Archipelago, a Natural World Heritage Site.
One of USFQ’s main contributions in Galápagos lies in its commitment to holistic education through transformative experiences. In this context, the Host Family Program stands out as an international cultural immersion initiative that allows foreign students to integrate into the daily life of the local community.
Through financial support of universities and the private sector, the REACCT+ project is strengthening six local businesses on San Cristóbal Island.
During this special season, we would like to wish you a Merry Christmas and a prosperous New Year. We invite you to explore the news, insights, and achievements that reflect our collective efforts to strengthen conservation and promote sustainable development in the Galápagos Archipelago, a Natural World Heritage Site.
The Galapagos National Park Directorate (GNPD), with the support of the Universidad San Francisco de Quito (USFQ), officially launched the “Management Plan for the Conservation and Sustainable Use of the Galápagos Sea Lion in San Cristóbal Island 2025–2030.”
Industrial fishing in waters near the Galápagos has long been a challenge for marine conservation. In a context where fishing pressure and species protection coexist in tension, a recent study examined what happens when new marine protected areas are implemented.
During World War II, Baltra Island hosted a U.S. military base that significantly transformed its landscape and ecosystems. This research reconstructed that infrastructure in 3D using historical photographs, satellite imagery, and drone surveys, identifying more than 600 structures.
Marine iguanas of the Galápagos (Amblyrhynchus cristatus) are the only lizard species in the world that feeds in the ocean, relying almost exclusively on algae. During the El Niño climate event, rising ocean temperatures reduce the availability of this food source, leading to periods of scarcity. This research examines how these climatic changes affect their physiology and body condition.
Industrial fishing in waters near the Galápagos has long been a challenge for marine conservation. In a context where fishing pressure and species protection coexist in tension, a recent study examined what happens when new marine protected areas are implemented.
During World War II, Baltra Island hosted a U.S. military base that significantly transformed its landscape and ecosystems. This research reconstructed that infrastructure in 3D using historical photographs, satellite imagery, and drone surveys, identifying more than 600 structures.
Marine iguanas of the Galápagos (Amblyrhynchus cristatus) are the only lizard species in the world that feeds in the ocean, relying almost exclusively on algae. During the El Niño climate event, rising ocean temperatures reduce the availability of this food source, leading to periods of scarcity. This research examines how these climatic changes affect their physiology and body condition.
The lava gull (Leucophaeus fuliginosus), an endemic species of the Galápagos Islands, is the rarest gull in the world, with an estimated population of 300 to 600 individuals, making it a conservation priority.
Puerto Baquerizo Moreno, on San Cristóbal Island, will host the 7th Symposium on Research and Conservation in Galápagos. This important multidisciplinary event, which will take place on Monday, July 14 and Tuesday, July 15, 2025, at the Charles Darwin Convention Center, will be organized by the Galapagos Science Center, thanks to the sponsorship of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and the Universidad San Francisco de Quito, and with the support of the Galápagos National Park.
The 6th Galápagos Research and Conservation Symposium took place on Monday, July 15 and Tuesday, July 16, 2024 at the Charles Darwin Convention Center on San Cristóbal, Galápagos. This important multidisciplinary event was organized by the Galapagos Science Center, with the sponsorship of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and the Universidad San Francisco de Quito with the endorsement of the Galapagos National Park.
Puerto Baquerizo Moreno, on San Cristóbal Island, will host the 5th Galapagos Research and Conservation Symposium. This significant multidisciplinary event will feature scientific presentations and community-focused talks, showcasing research and initiatives related to conservation, environmental change, biodiversity and oceans, health, and community initiatives.
In 2022, the Galapagos Science Center (GSC) and the broader UNC & USFQ Galapagos Initiative celebrated its 10th Anniversary. The GSC hosted the World Summit on Island Sustainability on June 26–30, 2022 at the Galapagos Science Center and the Community Convention Center on San Cristobal Island.
Puerto Baquerizo Moreno, on San Cristóbal Island, will host the 7th Symposium on Research and Conservation in Galápagos. This important multidisciplinary event, which will take place on Monday, July 14 and Tuesday, July 15, 2025, at the Charles Darwin Convention Center, will be organized by the Galapagos Science Center, thanks to the sponsorship of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and the Universidad San Francisco de Quito, and with the support of the Galápagos National Park.
The 6th Galápagos Research and Conservation Symposium took place on Monday, July 15 and Tuesday, July 16, 2024 at the Charles Darwin Convention Center on San Cristóbal, Galápagos. This important multidisciplinary event was organized by the Galapagos Science Center, with the sponsorship of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and the Universidad San Francisco de Quito with the endorsement of the Galapagos National Park.
Puerto Baquerizo Moreno, on San Cristóbal Island, will host the 5th Galapagos Research and Conservation Symposium. This significant multidisciplinary event will feature scientific presentations and community-focused talks, showcasing research and initiatives related to conservation, environmental change, biodiversity and oceans, health, and community initiatives.
In 2022, the Galapagos Science Center (GSC) and the broader UNC & USFQ Galapagos Initiative celebrated its 10th Anniversary. The GSC hosted the World Summit on Island Sustainability on June 26–30, 2022 at the Galapagos Science Center and the Community Convention Center on San Cristobal Island.
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.
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!