Estudio piloto para estimar el tamaño de población de la iguana marina de Galápagos en peligro de extinción utilizando drones

Resumen 

Antecedentes

El monitoreo de especies a gran escala sigue siendo un desafío significativo para la conservación. Dada la crisis de biodiversidad en curso, la necesidad de métodos confiables y eficientes nunca ha sido mayor. Las técnicas basadas en drones tienen mucho que ofrecer en este sentido: permiten el acceso a áreas que de otra manera serían inaccesibles y permiten la recolección rápida de datos de campo no invasivos. Aquí, describimos el desarrollo de un método basado en drones para la estimación del tamaño de población en la iguana marina de Galápagos, Amblyrhynchus cristatus. Como un lagarto de gran tamaño que ocurre en terrenos costeros abiertos, esta especie endémica es un candidato ideal para estudios con drones. Casi todas las subespecies de Amblyrhynchus están en peligro de extinción o en peligro crítico según la UICN, pero dado que varias colonias son inaccesibles a pie, los métodos terrestres no pueden abordar la necesidad crítica de mejores datos de censo. Para establecer un enfoque basado en drones para estimar el tamaño de población de las iguanas marinas, en enero de 2021 encuestamos cuatro colonias en tres islas focales (San Cristóbal, Santa Fe y Española) utilizando tres técnicas: recuentos simples (el método estándar utilizado actualmente por los administradores de conservación), captura-marca-recaptura (CMR) y recuentos basados en drones. Las encuestas se realizaron dentro de una ventana de 4 días en condiciones ambientales similares. Luego comparamos los enfoques en términos de viabilidad, resultado y esfuerzo.

Aprende más sobre el estudio aquí.

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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!