Photo: Joshua Vela
During March and April 2024, monitoring and scientific research activities.
Want to be part of the revolution in environmental conservation? Then the Galápagos Data Hub is your new digital destination! Discover a unique tool that gathers, analyzes, and shares crucial geospatial information for the sustainable management.
Darwin200 and the Galapagos Science Center will closely collaborate from May 14th to 17th to expand on Darwin’s observations and address environmental challenges through joint research and conservation actions.
March 8 is International Women’s Day, a global day to celebrate the achievements of women everywhere, raise awareness about continued discrimination based on gender, and take action to promote gender parity. Since the GSC was founded in 2011, over 50 women have led research across more than 74 research projects.
The collaboration between the Universidad San Francisco de Quito (USFQ) and the Oskar Jandl Hospital (HOJ) has played a key role transforming healthcare in the Galápagos Islands, specifically on San Cristóbal Island.
We proudly present our Holiday Newssletter.
The Galapagos Science Center (GSC) greets you and wishes you happy holidays. The GSC promotes local and international scientific collaboration for the benefit of global science and the Galápagos through research, education, and community outreach.
A team of veterinarians from the Oceanografic Foundation traveled to Puerto Baquerizo Moreno to establish a veterinary health surveillance.
This study reveals that the artisanal fishing sector along the coastal regions of Ecuador (excluding Galapagos) and Peru faces significant economic losses due to the considerable presence of marine plastic debris which directly impacts productivity.
This study, published in Marine Ecology Progress Series, examines how nutrient availability can help marine macroalgae in the Galápagos Islands better adapt to higher temperatures—a challenge they face due to climate change. Macroalgae are essential aquatic plants for marine ecosystems as they provide food and shelter for many species. However, their ability to survive and thrive largely depends on environmental conditions, such as the amount of nutrients in the water.
This study investigates the diversity of ladybird beetles (Coccinellidae) on San Cristóbal Island in the Galápagos Archipelago. Researchers recorded 19 species, including four previously documented (two endemic and two native) and nine potentially native species reported for the first time. Endemic species, such as Psyllobora bisigma and Scymnobius scalesius, were rare and confined to native forests, while native species like Cycloneda sanguinea showed adaptability to various habitats, including urban and agricultural areas.
This study presents the first records of connectivity between hawksbill sea turtles (Eretmochelys imbricata) in the Galápagos Islands and mainland Ecuador.
The future of Scalesia is under threat due to invasive species introduced by human activities. The Scalesia Microbiome Project (SMP), established under the Galapagos Barcode initiative, aims to characterize the microbiome associated with Scalesia species to inform restoration efforts.
This study was conducted as part of the Shark Research in Galapagos Project (led by CP), and which received an initial support from Iris and Michael Smith. The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript.
This work highlights the value of trophic studies to generate useful information for ecosystem-based fisheries management.
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!