Isabela eps:Layout 1 - Advanced Conservation Strategies

MANAGEMENT
& STRATEGY
18
Ground hunting management
Santiago: ground hunter land
Massive areas made manageable
At 58,465 ha Santiago Island is more than 3 times the size of
Washington DC; it is too large for ground hunters or even a
helicopter to work as a single block. The island has no roads or
fences and is over 35 km long and 21 km wide. The division of the
island into 24 blocks for ground hunters allowed the entire island to
be worked systematically. Satellite imagery was used to assess the
island geography; wavelength band combinations were used to
highlight vegetation types and volcanic areas. GPS units were used to mark existing trails throughout the island. Natural
topographic features, easily identified by hunters (e.g., ridgelines, hills, etc), were also identified. Ground hunting blocks
were subdivided into a total of 137 sub-blocks which facilitated the specialized rastrillo ground hunting technique and
provided optimally sized areas for teams of 15 hunters to cover in one day. Sub-blocks in open areas were on average twice
the size of the Principality of Monaco (384 ha) and those in heavily vegetated areas were about 171 ha.
FACT BOX
• Ground hunters: 100% Galapageños
• 20% from Isabela, 80% from Santa Cruz
• Highly qualified hunters
- Hunting skills
- GPS handling
- Rifle maintenance
- First aid intervention training
• 147 dogs bred in PI kennel
• 2 qualification levels for dogs
Dogs wearing special leather boots for protecting their
paws when working on lava during hot days.
Not Welcome
While Santiago Island has a good network of trails, several camps
and water collecting sites, Isabela Island is far from providing the
same level of hospitality. Moreover, a large proportion of the island
is covered by lava fields and thus large areas of the island are not
practically workable from the ground. Size, remoteness and
complex access are additional factors that make Isabela a difficult
island to work on.
Darwin volcano is a good example. Probably the driest of all,
it has around 64% of its area covered by volcanic rocks. Wolf with
its steep slopes and high altitude also offers a big challenge.
Alcedo presents probably the best conditions as well as having a
hut and water collector on the rim. The Linda Cayot hut is
accessible by a moderate climbing trail. The southern part of
Isabela, even though it has existing trails and a National Park hut,
offers a challenge, not only because of its size, but also because of
the huge lava fields.
For all these reasons, helicopters were chosen and have proven to
be the best hunting and monitoring tool for tackling Isabela Island.
Aerial hunting management
FACT BOX
Isabela: helicopter land
• Helicopter model: MD500D/MD500E
• Capacity: 1 pilot and up to 3 passengers
• Airspeed: Hover to 156 knots
• Range: 225 Nautical miles ~2.2 hours @110 knots
• Lifting capacity: 500kg
MANAGEMENT
& STRATEGY
19