Galapagos Matters Autumn Winter 2020 - Galapagos Conservation Trust

GALAPAGOSMATTERS 

AUTUMN/WINTER 2020 

COVID-19 in 

paradise 

HOPE THE 

WHALE SHARK 

Ten years of 

tortoises 

galapagosconservation.org.uk

GALAPAGOSMATTERS 

CONTENTS 

Cover 

Hope the whale shark was tagged 

in autumn 2019 off Darwin’s 

Arch in Galapagos. She then 

travelled more than 3000km 

away from the Islands and back, 

providing the longest migration 

track from a whale shark to date. 

Sadly, however, her tag stopped 

transmitting in May 2020 in an area 

of high industrial fishing effort. 

© Jonathan Green 

4-5 Wild Galapagos 

6 -7 Galapagos News 

8 -11 The potential cost of the pandemic 

With help from some of GCT’s partners and friends, 

Clare Simm explores the effects that the COVID-19 

lockdown has had in Galapagos both for its residents 

and wildlife, and what some of the longer-term impacts 

might be. The latter includes the risk that invasive 

species such as the fly Philornis downsi pose when 

not controlled, as Charlotte Causton explains. 

12-13 Project Updates 

14 UK News 

15 -17 Whale shark migration 

Whale sharks are known to migrate long distances but 

we still have so much to learn about these endangered 

fish. However our understanding is increasing thanks to 

tagged individuals, such as Hope, whose inspiring, but 

sad, story Jonathan Green tells. 

18 Growing food at home 

While growing vegetables at home has become a hobby 

for many of us, in remote places like the Galapagos 

Islands it is a vital activity. GCT’s Beth Byrne explains 

the importance behind one of the new projects that 

has grown up out of the pandemic. 

19 A decade of tortoise research 

The Galapagos Tortoise Movement Ecology Programme 

turned ten this year. Henry Nicholls interviews project 

founder Stephen Blake about what the last decade has 

done for tortoise conservation. 

20 Global Relevance – 

Due to the pandemic, we are more aware than ever 

that our wellbeing is linked to that of the environment. 

Sharon Deem explores the concept of ‘One Health’, 

the idea that the health of people, animals and the 

environment are all connected.. 

21-23 Membership, Reviews, Events 

and Merchandise 

CONTRIBUTORS 

Charlotte Causton is a senior 

research scientist at the 

Charles Darwin Foundation 

with extensive experience 

in developing methods for 

controlling invasive insects in 

Galapagos. She is currently 

coordinating an international 

effort to develop methods 

to control the invasive 

avian parasitic fly, Philornis 

downsi, which is threatening 

many endemic bird species 

in the Archipelago. 

Jonathan Green is a qualified 

naturalist guide, dive master 

and elected Fellow of the 

Royal Geographical Society 

of London who has been 

working in Galapagos for over 

25 years. In 2011, he set up 

the Galapagos Whale Shark 

Project to monitor and study 

whale sharks in the Islands. 

Having worked in Central 

Africa for over 15 years on 

a variety of conservation 

issues, Stephen Blake 

moved to Galapagos in 2008. 

He established the Giant 

Tortoise Movement Ecology 

Programme (GTMEP) in 2010 

to conduct research on the 

movements of 

Galapagos tortoises. 

Sharon Deem is a wildlife 

veterinarian, epidemiologist 

and the director of the 

Saint Louis Zoo Institute for 

Conservation Medicine. She 

has conducted projects in 

over 30 counties, including 

over a decade of working in 

Galapagos. Much of her work 

focuses on diseases shared 

between domestic animals, 

wildlife and people. 

2 GALAPAGOS MATTERS

FROM THE 

CHIEF EXECUTIVE 

by Sharon Johnson 

S 

ince the last issue of Galapagos Matters, the lives of people living in Galapagos have 

changed dramatically, like many around the world. In mid-March, the Islands went into 

complete lockdown, including an overnight curfew; non-residents were evacuated, and 

all conservation fieldwork stopped. 

© Sharon Johnson 

This has had a huge impact on 

the residents’ lives, as you can read 

on pages 8-11, as well as on our 

projects. We had to adjust fieldwork 

and science programmes rapidly, 

providing additional support to our 

team on the Islands to enable them 

to continue their vital work. While 

a pause in tourism provided some 

respite for the Archipelago’s fragile 

ecosystems, it brought economic 

hardship for the locals and the risk of 

illegal fishing and poaching. 

Knowing this is a real threat, and 

with support from everyone who 

donated to our emergency appeal, 

we got straight to work - reworking 

our educational and outreach 

materials in a bid to stop people 

turning to illegal activities; providing 

funding for essential PPE to safeguard 

locals during food production; and 

giving Galapagueños the tools to 

grow their own food (p. 18). Thank 

you to everyone who donated during 

this time. 

Our work to fight the impact of 

COVID-19 doesn’t stop there. As you 

will read on page 17, an immediate 

threat to Galapagos’ wildlife came 

from outside the boundary of 

the Galapagos Marine Reserve. 

An international fishing fleet has 

descended, threatening vulnerable 

migratory marine species. We are 

ramping up our efforts for increased 

protection of important migratory 

routes, including the creation of 

a protected swimway between 

Galapagos and Cocos Island, Costa 

Rica, which we’ve been supporting 

since 2018. 

There are other projects that need 

our urgent help too. The Mangrove 

Finch Project team was evacuated 

less than halfway through their field 

season, meaning they could not 

provide the protection this critically 

endangered finch needs against the 

invasive fly, Philornis downsi. It is 

even more crucial the team returns 

to the field in early 2021 to ensure 

the survival of the rarest finch in 

Galapagos and we need your help 

to make this happen (p. 22). On a 

more positive note, despite lockdown 

cutting short their field work, the Little 

Vermilion Flycatcher Project team was 

thrilled to find six chicks had hatched 

on Santa Cruz in nests that had been 

treated for P. downsi (p. 12). 

The recent upheaval caused by 

the pandemic has meant adjusting 

to new ways of working for our UK 

staff members too. At the time of 

going to press, we are all still working 

from home and we are continuing to 

re-evaluate how we do things. It is 

more important than ever that we stay 

in touch with you in ways that work 

for you, so please fill in our survey to 

let us know how you wish to receive 

communications from us in the 

future (p. 23). 

I will be sad not to see you in 

person this year at Galapagos Day. 

However, we will be running the 

event online instead, which I hope 

will not only help you remember the 

exquisite beauty of the Islands but 

it will give you the opportunity to 

hear more about what we are doing 

to reduce these increasing threats 

to Galapagos’ unique wildlife. I 

very much hope you will be able to 

join us (p. 23). 

Thank you once again for your 

continuing support. It really is 

heartwarming to have so many loyal 

friends. It has meant so much to us 

and, as you will see on the back page, 

it has been critically important for our 

partners fighting on the frontline of 

conservation in Galapagos. Thank you 

so much from us all. 

Sharon Johnson 

Galapagos Matters is a copyright biannual publication produced for members of the Galapagos 

Conservation Trust. 

The information in this issue was 

obtained from various sources, all 

ISSN 2050-6074 Galapagos 

Matters is printed on paper 

Designer: The Graphic Design House 

Printer: Bishops Printers 

of which have extensive knowledge made from well managed forests 020 7399 7440 

of Galapagos, but neither GCT nor and controlled sources. 

gct@gct.org 

the contributors are responsible Editor: Henry Nicholls 

www.galapagosconservation.org.uk 

for the accuracy of the contents or Chief Executive: Sharon Johnson 

the opinions expressed herein. Communications and Marketing 

Manager: Clare Simm 


3

4 GALAPAGOS MATTERS

WILD 

GALAPAGOS 

This Galapagos short-eared owl was awaiting GCT 

supporter Sarah Ahern on South Plaza island. She recalls 

how it appeared completely unphased by their presence, 

which is perfectly captured in this stunning image. One of 

two endemic owl species on the Islands, the Galapagos 

short-eared owl is often spotted flying low over lava rocks 

and grassland whilst hunting for rats, lava lizards and birds. 

Our 2021 calendar is now available for pre-order and 

contains this and more incredible photographs from the 

2020 Galapagos Photography Competition – find out 

more on page 23. Our 2021 competition will be 

opening for entries in late October, so don’t forget to 

enter your best Galapagos images for a chance to win! 

© Sarah Ahern 


5

GALAPAGOS 

NEWS 

COVID-19 IN 

GALAPAGOS 

© Nigel Puttick 

It was a shock, if not a surprise, when 

COVID-19 reached the Galapagos 

Islands. The World Health Organisation 

declared the outbreak of the disease a 

pandemic on 11 March 2020 and shortly 

after, on 14 March, Ecuador shut its 

borders to the world. Flights to Galapagos 

were stopped almost immediately but the 

country confirmed its first cases on 18 

March. A curfew was introduced on the 

Islands between 14:00 and 5:00 to try to 

reduce the potential spread of the disease 

and the Islands went into lockdown. Sadly, 

by 23 March the first four cases were 

confirmed in Galapagos thought to 

be residents who had returned from 

Guayaquil on the mainland. 

There were worries that the fragile health 

system on Galapagos would be 

overwhelmed. Usually anyone with severe 

health issues is flown to the mainland. 

Thankfully the cases increased slowly. By 10 

April, the government reported 10 

confirmed cases in Galapagos – six on San 

Cristobal, three on Santa Cruz and one on 

Isabela. Two Galapagueños were also 

reported to be ill on the mainland. Of these 

12, there were two deaths – one in Santa 

Cruz and one on the mainland. By 1 May, 

107 cases were confirmed, including 57 

cases on three boats moored within the 

Galapagos Marine Reserve. Residents from 

the mainland were starting to be 

repatriated but no one was allowed to 

fly without testing negative for the disease. 

By 4 June the cases had only risen by 

another 14, including cases on another two 

boats and accordingly, the curfew was 

relaxed to 21:00 – 5:00. Sadly, despite the 

precautions being taken, a further case was 

found on San Cristobal on 12 June and five 

more on Santa Cruz on 18 June in people 

who had returned on repatriation flights. 

Tourist sites re-opened in mid-July and, 

at the time of writing, there are plans for 

flights and cruises to resume in 

August 2020, however this is subject 

to change. 

6 GALAPAGOS MATTERS

© Galapagos National Park 

NEW GNP DIRECTOR 

The Galapagos National Park (GNP) 

gained a new director on 1 March 2020, 

Danny Rueda Córdova. An engineer 

specialising in socio-economic development 

and environment, Mr Rueda has spent 20 

years working in protected areas. Over the 

last ten years, he was the Director of 

Ecosystems for the GNP, responsible 

for planning the management of 

protected marine and terrestrial areas. 

The previous director of the GNP, Jorge 

Carrión, is now the Principal Investigator 

on our Galapagos Tortoise Movement 

Ecology Programme. 

The new director of the Galapagos 

National Park Danny Rueda © GNP 

ILLEGAL FISHING 

26 

tonnes of shark fins were seized by 

Hong Kong customs officials in May 

2020, found inside two shipping containers 

from Ecuador and thought to be worth 

US$1.1 million. This seizure, which included 

fins from scalloped hammerhead sharks, is 

more than double the 12 tonnes of shark fins 

seized in Hong Kong in all of 2019. 

This year, researchers have, for the first 

time, been able to trace shark fins from the 

retail market in Hong Kong back to the 

location where the sharks were caught. 

Scalloped hammerheads, now critically 

endangered, are the most common and 

valuable species in the trade. This new 

research revealed that the majority of fins 

originated in the Eastern Pacific, an area with 

a lot of industrial fishing, including fleets 

from China. In June 2020, the arrival of 

around 260 Chinese ships, prompted the 

Ecuadorian government to look into 

improving the protection around Galapagos, 

including the possibility of increasing the 

Ecuadorian Exclusive Economic Zone. This is 

a pivotal time for ensuring that key areas get 

the protection they need to help conserve 

Diego the tortoise back on Española 

© Andrés Cruz, GTRI - Galapagos Conservancy 

DIEGO RETURNS HOME TO ESPAÑOLA 

In June 2020, 15 giant tortoises returned 

to Española, the only individuals from this 

island to survive centuries of exploitation by 

passing mariners. For the past 55 years, 

these tortoises were part of a breeding 

programme, where they produced more 

than 2,000 offspring to save the Chelonoidis 

hoodensis species from extinction. Among 

the 15 tortoises was the famous Diego who, 

after several decades of living at San Diego 

Zoo, was returned to Galapagos in 1976 to 

take part in the breeding programme. At 

over 120 years old, he will live out his 

retirement on Española with his 

descendants who have been released to 

the island over the last several decades. 

RARE SIGHTING OF RAIL CHICKS 

The Charles Darwin Foundation’s 

Landbird Conservation Group with the 

support of the Galapagos National Park 

Directorate undertook a landbird 

population census on Santiago island, 

including Galapagos rails, in February 2020. 

This year the team was lucky to be there at 

the height of their breeding season and saw 

a number of Galapagos rail chicks, which is 

rare as they are normally very secretive 

birds. Santiago is thought to have the 

largest population of Galapagos rails in the 

Archipelago, and these sightings confirm 

that they are doing well on the island. 

The Galapagos rail is listed as Vulnerable 

on the IUCN Red List due to threats 

including invasive predators and habitat 

destruction. They are found on six islands, 

including Santiago, and are locally extinct 

Galapagos rail chick on Santiago 

© Michael Dvorak, CDF 

FERAL CATS POSE A THREAT TO 

GALAPAGOS WILDLIFE 

New research by Amy McLeod 

investigated the threat of feral cats on 

San Cristobal to local wildlife. Using GPS 

collars to track where these cats were 

going, the research found that the cats are 

a significant threat to a range of species but 

particularly marine iguana hatchlings. 

McLeod believes that the cats might also 

take advantage of the emergence of 

hatchling green turtles. The full paper is 

Feral cat with marine iguana hatchling 

© Caroline Marmion 

NEW LEGISLATION FOR SHARKS 

In June 2020, the Ministry of Production 

and Fisheries in Ecuador announced a 

multi-pronged approach to protect sharks, 

a result for which GCT’s project partner 

Dr Alex Hearn has played an integral role. 

“Ecuador condemns any act related to 

illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing, 

especially when these acts are linked to 

such a sensitive and important species in 

marine ecosystems as the shark,” 

announced the Ministry, adding that the 

sale and export of five new shark species 

will be prohibited, including the critically 

HOPE SPOT 

A 

vital underwater migration highway 

that connects the Galapagos Marine 

Reserve in Ecuador and the Cocos Island 

National Park in Costa Rica has been 

declared a Mission Blue Hope Spot. 

Galapagos Conservation Trust has been 

supporting the proposed Cocos-Galapagos 

Swimway since 2018 by helping our science 

partners gather essential evidence needed 

to drive forward the creation of this 120,000 

km² area, which is critical for protecting 

endangered Galapagos marine species 

including whale sharks. 

galapagosconservation.org.uk/proposed- 

protected-swimway-between-galapagos- 


7

PANDEMIC IN 

PARADISE 

by Clare Simm 

L 

ife under COVID-19 has 

affected almost everyone 

around the world, with huge 

swathes of the global population 

having gone through some version 

of a lockdown, and Galapagos 

is no exception. Ecuador shut its 

borders and stopped flights to 

Galapagos on 16 March, but it 

was too late to prevent the virus 

reaching the Islands. 

Galapagos guide Pablo Valladares was 

on his way back from holiday in Nicaragua 

when he found himself trapped in Guayaquil, 

a city then experiencing an alarming rise in 

the number of new coronavirus cases. “We 

initially thought that we would get back to 

Galapagos within a matter of weeks, but we 

were still in Guayaquil more than two months 

later,” says Valladares. “In Galapagos, we 

are used to being active and watching the 

amazing wildlife. Even in our backyard, we 

have finches, yellow warblers, lava lizards 

and racer snakes. In Guayaquil, we were 

fortunate to be able to stay with my sister, but 

how would we manage confined to a flat in 

Ecuador’s second largest city?” 

From the windows of the flat, he could 

see green hills and a magnificent Ceiba 

tree across the street that was a draw for 

birds. “One of the things that brought real 

happiness was watching red-headed parrots 

flying in the morning,” he says. As each 

week passed, the longing that Pablo and 

his family felt for Galapagos grew and grew. 

However, they were just some of the 3000 

Galapagos residents who had been trapped 

on the mainland. “It was only after 68 days 

in lockdown that we were allowed to return. 

When the plane eventually touched down in 

Galapagos, it was like being born again.” 

Thanks to the measures taken by the 

Ecuadorian government, the cases of 

COVID-19 identified in Galapagos did not 

overwhelm the fragile medical system on the 

Islands. However, lockdown restrictions were 

very strict. “Between 2pm to 5am, there was 

a total curfew,” says Anne Guezou, GCT’s 

Education and Outreach Coordinator who is 

based on Santa Cruz. “We had no access to 

beaches or the National Park and there were 

no flights to the mainland at all. I felt very 

restricted,” she says. “Also, there was the 

worry that if many people got sick, we were 

not equipped to provide intensive care.” 

With only a few shops open for food 

and other basic supplies, islanders became 

more resourceful, with local initiatives and 

entrepreneurs springing up to supply the 

8 GALAPAGOS MATTERS

© Charlotte Meloy 

“Some people 

are taking 

advantage of 

the situation 

for their own 

benefit.” 

View from the flat in Guayaquil that Pablo Valladares 

and his family spent their time © Pablo Valladares 


9

OUR RESPONSE TO THE 

IMPACTS OF THE PANDEMIC 

With your crucial support, we 

ramped up our educational and 

outreach activities in a bid to stop 

people turning to illegal activities; 

we provided funding for essential 

PPE to safeguard locals when 

producing food; we were able 

to continue vital funding of our 

ongoing species projects; and we 

are doubling our efforts to support 

the creation of newly protected 

swimways in response to the 

threat of industrial fishing fleets on 

the boundary of the Galapagos 

There is a risk that lockdown will have affected the survival of animals such as Galapagos 

giant tortoise hatchlings which are threatened by invasive species © GTMEP 

community. “Local farmers distributed 

products door-to-door and fish was always 

available,” says Ainoa Nieto Claudin, wildlife 

veterinarian and researcher at the Charles 

Darwin Foundation. “Our diet changed 

since we were not able to find the same 

variety, but also improved as we ate more 

local and organic food.” But there was a 

dark side to the lockdown too, she notes. 

“Violence against women and children 

increased dramatically during lockdown, 

with a woman killed by her partner in Puerto 

Ayora. There have been protests against the 

local authorities due to the economic crisis 

and some people are taking advantage of the 

situation for their own benefit.” 

The most widespread impact of the 

shutdown, however, has been the interruption 

to international tourism, the sector that 

underpins the majority of livelihoods in 

Galapagos. “With no tourists we have had 

to close our office, our boat is at anchor in 

the bay and our employees have no work,” 

says Manuel Yepez Revelo, the owner of 

Galapagos Sharksky Travel and Conservation, 

a small tourism company based on San 

Cristobal. With the business losing money, 

Revelo had to be inventive to make ends 

meet. “I started a new business, selling fish 

from my scooter house-to-house.” 

By mid-June, the incidence of COVID-19 

in the Islands had stabilised, the curfew 

and other restrictions were easing, and 

researchers and conservationists were 

beginning to return to work. However, the 

interruption to fieldwork could have longterm 

impacts on the wildlife of Galapagos. 

“My main concern is the unknown, and likely 

negative, consequences on the survival or 

restoration of species or populations such as 

the mangrove finch, vermilion flycatcher and 

giant tortoise hatchlings. Disruption of data 

collection for long-term studies may render 

some data sets useless for analysis,” says 

Guezou. Disruption to funding streams could 

also impact key conservation initiatives, 

she says, including the project to restore 

Floreana and the research into the impacts 

of the invasive parasitic fly Philornis downsi 

(see Box). 

Another concern is that in the wake of 

the virus there could be an increase in 

uncontrolled development in an effort to 

compensate for lost earnings. “I am afraid 

that the pandemic will be used to support 

management decisions that will go against 

conservation,” says Nieto. In fact, the 

upheaval has created new opportunities 

that must be seized, she says. “Lockdown 

has given us the perfect scenario to start 

over and do things better. We need to learn 

from our experiences and create new rules 

to ensure social and ecological sustainability 

for Galapagos.” 

Birgit Fessl, coordinator of the Galapagos 

Land Bird Conservation Plan at the Charles 

Darwin Foundation, agrees that now is the 

time to increase protection. “I consider 

invasive species to be the biggest threat for 

the wildlife in Galapagos. More support must 

be given to strengthen biosecurity at the 

borders of Galapagos and stop new species 

getting in either by accident or by people 

bringing them in.” 

For GCT Ambassador Godfrey Merlen, 

the absence of the usual human bustle 

We need to avoid an increase in unsustainable activities 

due to many people losing their jobs © Eva Horvath-Papp 

has allowed him to see these Islands in a 

way he’s never seen them before. “The sky 

has been swept with a deeper blue. The 

mangroves stand out with even brighter 

greens. The waves crest with a dazzling 

white and the crashing sound is louder in 

my ears. There is bird song everywhere,” 

he says. “The adversity posed by sudden 

cessation of the never-ending arrival of 

visitors has brought many in the Galapagos 

community closer to each other and to 

the precious natural world around us.” 

Now is the time to increase protection 

against invasive species such as 

blackberry © Ana Mireya Guerrero 

10 GALAPAGOS MATTERS

HOW TO CONTROL 

A PARASITE 

The micro wasp, Conura annulifera, parasitises pupae of Philornis species on mainland Ecuador and is 

a potential candidate for use in a biological control program against P. downsi. 

© Dave Hansen, UMN 

to have completed some trials injecting 

a small amount of an insecticide into 

the base of the nests where the bloodfeeding 

larvae reside when they are not 

feeding on the chicks. This work, carried 

out by CDF, GNP and the University of 

Vienna, has significantly increased the 

survival of chicks from four threatened 

bird species, including the mangrove 

finch and the little vermilion flycatcher. 

In collaboration with scientists from 

SUNY-ESF and Syracuse University, we are 

also investigating whether we can use fly 

pheromones and bird odours to lure adult 

Philornis flies down from the canopy and 

into traps. 

All our efforts to control this deadly 

parasite require a mix of ingenuity and 

perseverance. We are fortunate to be 

working with a large group of dedicated 

scientists who are not deterred by 

setbacks like that posed by COVID-19 

and who will continue the work to ensure 

the conservation of the unique landbirds 

of Galapagos. 

by Charlotte Causton 

As we made preparations for this year’s 

fieldwork, the weather was our biggest 

concern. Little did we know that there would 

be a global pandemic that would shut 

down research for three-and-a-half months 

in the middle of the bird-breeding season, 

a crucial window for testing methods to 

control the invasive parasitic fly Philornis 

downsi, enemy number one of the smaller 

Galapagos landbirds. 

These invasive flies, introduced from 

mainland Ecuador by accident, are experts at 

locating bird nests, where they lay their own 

eggs. Once the maggots hatch, they feed 

off the blood of young chicks, sometimes 

killing an entire brood. To date, P. downsi is 

known to attack 21 different landbirds, more 

than half of which are species of Galapagos 

finch, and is a serious threat to the survival 

of at least six species including the critically 

endangered mangrove finch. The parasitic 

fly also threatens some populations of the 

little vermilion flycatcher, the most colourful 

landbird in Galapagos. 

In a race against time, the Charles Darwin 

Foundation (CDF) and the Galapagos 

National Park (GNP) are coordinating a 

multi-institutional and multi-country project 

to research the biology and ecology of this 

little-known fly, with a view to developing 

effective, environmentally friendly means 

of control. One promising approach is 

biological control, which involves introducing 

one of the fly’s natural enemies from its 

native range to the Archipelago. Exploratory 

surveys on mainland Ecuador, led by the 

University of Minnesota and CDF, have 

identified a small wasp, Conura annulifera, 

that is itself a parasite of P. downsi. After five 

years of careful work, results indicate that this 

wasp is a Philornis specialist. We now have 

the go-ahead to bring a small number of 

wasps into a quarantine facility in Galapagos 

in order to assess whether it is safe to 

introduce the wasp to the Islands. 

In the meantime, we need to deploy 

other tools to protect the nests of those 

species at the greatest risk of extinction. 

Before COVID-19 brought put an end to 

our fieldwork this year, we were fortunate 

Philornis downsi larvae feed on the blood 

of bird hatchlings, often causing all of the 

chicks in a nest to die. © Henri Herrera, CDF 

Philornis downsi is one of the key threats 

to the critically endangered mangrove 

finch. Due to the COVID-19 lockdown, the 

Mangrove Finch Project team was not able 

to provide the protection that the chicks 

needed in the 2020 season, so it is unlikely 

that many fledged successfully. We need 

to ensure that the team can return in 2021 

so that they can combat P. downsi as well 

as control the invasive rat population that 

is also a threat to the birds. Please help us 

to ensure the survival of these rare birds 

and the other unique wildlife of Galapagos 

by supporting our appeal today. 

You can read more about 

the appeal on page 22. 

Protecting bird hatchlings from P. downsi is difficult because nests are 

typically found high up in the tree canopy. © Agustin Gutierrez, CDF 


11

PROJECT 

UPDATES 

Female little vermilion flycatcher feeding chicks © David Anchundia, CDF 

Clearing invasive vegetation from little vermilion flycatcher 

breeding areas © Agustin Gutierrez, CDF 

L 

ast year we featured the striking black and red plumage of the little vermilion flycatcher on 

the cover of Galapagos Matters (Autumn/Winter 2019 issue), alongside the launch of our 

‘Save Darwin’s Birds’ appeal. With your help, the first year of the ‘Saving the Little Vermilion Flycatcher’ 

project on Santa Cruz has been a great success despite the challenges the team has faced, so 

thank you to everyone who supported the project. 

It has only been three decades since the little vermilion flycatcher 

was a common sight on Santa Cruz. Since then, their numbers have 

dramatically decreased with only 40 breeding pairs now found on the 

island. In response to these declines, the Charles Darwin Foundation 

and the Galapagos National Park Directorate, in collaboration with 

University of Vienna, launched a three-year conservation programme 

in 2019. The team identified six plots in key flycatcher habitat to focus 

their objectives and help mitigate against the main threats to the 

population on Santa Cruz. 

Firstly, the team began restoration of the plots to improve access to 

vital feeding grounds. The insects crucial for chick rearing are lacking 

in areas heavily invaded by plant species like non-native blackberry. 

Furthermore, blackberry forms a dense understory leaving few open 

areas near the ground for adults to hunt. During the year, local workers 

and Park rangers continued to clear areas of invasive blackberry and 

sauco plants to allow native, endemic plants to grow freely. This work 

demands continuous effort, as invasive plants can quickly reinvade. 

Although all activities had to be stopped in March 2020 due to 

COVID-19, thankfully four out of the six plots were fully cleared prior 

to lockdown, ensuring the birds could benefit from improved hunting 

conditions for longer. 

Reducing predator pressure via rat control is the team’s second key 

objective. After placing bait stations in the six plots last October, only 

one nest out of eleven (9%) failed due to predation in comparison to 

22% of nests outside of the controlled plots. Further work to verify 

these findings will be undertaken during the next field session. 

Their final objective is to increase the fledging success of flycatcher 

nests. To do this, the team captured and banded ten individual birds, 

racked up over 80 hours of nest observations, and treated twelve 

nests with insecticide to reduce the impact of the invasive parasitic 

fly Philornis downsi (read more on page 11). The team saw the 

successful fledging of six chicks from three nests, all of which had 

been treated with insecticide. Again, fieldwork was stopped before 

the team managed to collect all the data on failed nests meaning 

data collection during the 2021 field season is even more important 

for these birds. 

In just the first year of implementing these conservation actions, 

the team has already managed to improve the breeding success 

for these beautiful birds compared to previous years, despite 

activities being suspended during lockdown. As Galapagos relaxes 

movement restrictions, scientists are returning to the field as quickly 

and safely as possible to resume clearing the plots and monitoring 

these vulnerable birds prior to the start of the next breeding 

season in November. 


Taking health stats and key measurements of a marine iguana at 

La Lobería colony, San Cristobal © Juan Pablo Muñoz-Pérez 

INVESTIGATING PLASTIC POLLUTION 

THREATS TO MARINE IGUANAS 

Marine iguanas are an iconic, endemic species in Galapagos, 

known for their incredible diving ability to feed on marine algae. 

The species are listed as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List of Threatened 

Species; however 10 of 11 subspecies are listed as Endangered or 

Critically Endangered. It is estimated that the San Cristobal marine 

iguana colony stands at just 400 individuals. 

Threats to marine iguanas include El Niño events, where their main 

algae diet disappears, and predation by introduced species such as 

cats and dogs. From the MV Jessica oil spill in 2001 we also know that 

marine iguanas are very sensitive to toxic threats. A study by Martin 

Wikelski and colleagues in 2002 found trace amounts of oil pollution 

from this spill caused a 62% die off in the Santa Fe colony. However, 

more recently, scientists have been asking how plastics and associated 

toxins (microplastics often accumulate toxins on their surface) might 

be impacting marine iguanas. 

A wildlife:plastics risk assessment by our partners at the University of 

Exeter identified marine iguanas as high risk for both plastic ingestion 

and entanglement. In response to this, between June and September 

2019, Jen Jones, GCT’s Head of Programmes and PhD researcher at 

the University of Exeter, and Juan Pablo Muñoz-Pérez, Ecuadorian 

IDENTIFYING PLASTIC SOURCES, 

PATHWAYS AND SINKS 

key element of our Plastic Pollution Free Galapagos 

A programme is identifying where plastics reaching the Galapagos 

Islands are coming from, so we can pinpoint the most effective 

interventions to reduce the sources of pollution. This needs a 

combination of approaches, including predictions from oceanographic 

models and checking what is being found on the beaches. 

In 2019, research into developing a plastic flow model for 

Galapagos began, led by our partner and oceanographer Dr Erik van 

Sebille from the University of Utrecht. Early modelling work, together 

with beach surveys of plastics by a Galapagos National Park team, 

is giving us the first picture of pollution sources. We now know, in 

general terms, that the sources are (in order of scale) likely to be a few 

areas of the mainland - mostly northern Peru and southern Ecuador, 

marine industries - fishing in particular – and, to a much lesser extent, 

from Galapagos itself. 

These findings support calls for a regional approach to tackling this 

issue in the Eastern Pacific to reduce the amount of plastic arriving on 

Galapagos’ coastlines. Thousands of pieces of plastic wash up on the 

Islands’ beaches each year. Clean-up trips alone collect about eight 

tonnes each year but this is just the tip of the iceberg. 

PhD researcher at the University of the Sunshine Coast, undertook 

fieldwork to quantify the pollution risk for marine iguanas and provide 

recommendations to the Galapagos National Park (GNP) for ongoing 

monitoring and conservation. Key questions include i) whether marine 

iguanas are ingesting plastics, ii) if location affects the probability 

of micro and macroplastic exposure and ingestion, and iii) whether 

plastics affect marine iguana health. 

During fieldwork, the team visited ten distinct marine iguana 

habitats, covering four sub-species across four islands. Data were 

collected to establish a baseline for large plastic items at these sites 

(and potential entanglement risk), using methods co-developed with 

the GNP rangers and our Plastic Pollution Free Galapagos research 

network. At each site, food availability was surveyed including any 

instances where marine algae interact with plastic (such as with 

fishing lines). Faecal samples from 98 marine iguanas were taken 

to investigate exposure to plastics in their diet and to complement 

comprehensive health surveys of these individuals. 

We will compare more pristine, remote sites on Fernandina and 

Isabela in the west of the Archipelago to the more polluted sites 

on San Cristobal and Floreana, which also face greater pressures 

from invasive species. Analysis of the data and samples is currently 

underway, and results will feed into a hotspot risk map that will help 

to identify the sites in need of priority conservation to ensure marine 

iguanas are protected. 

Marine iguana (male in the 

breeding season) on the 

lookout in San Cristobal 

© Juan Pablo Muñoz-Pérez 

Information from these trips is being supplemented by regular 

citizen science and drone-based surveys to help verify the model’s 

results and increase the accuracy of future predictions. 

We are also undertaking archaeological studies of collected plastic 

items, a discipline known as ‘garbology’ where the ‘life history’ of 

an item is investigated to strengthen our insight into the item’s 

origins and journey to Galapagos. Interestingly, local observations 

and preliminary studies, led by archaeologist Prof. John Schofield 

at the University of York, have reported numerous items with Asian 

labels. Erik’s modelling indicates items from continental Asia 

would not reach Galapagos by ocean currents, so this pollution is 

likely originating from a much closer source, probably the fishing 

fleets that operate in international waters near Galapagos. This is 

further supported by the items’ ‘fresh’ appearance (i.e. they were 

not at sea for long) and has raised important questions for marine 

industry waste management practices. 

We are now developing a high-resolution oceanography model 

that will, in addition to pinpointing sources more accurately, 

show how plastic pollution moves within the Galapagos Marine 

Reserve once it has arrived. This will help us focus beach cleanup 

efforts in a timely manner, minimising risks to wildlife and 

removing items before they break into microplastics that can never 

be removed. Garbology investigations are scaling up as well, 

including developing methods to involve remote citizen scientists 

to accelerate analysis into the life histories of items found on 

Galapagos beaches. 


13

UK 

NEWS 

© Clare Simm 

2.6 CHALLENGE 

Thank you to everyone 

who took part in the 2.6 

Challenge on Sunday 26 April 

which would have been the day 

of the London Marathon. With 

your help, we raised over £500! 

There were some fantastic 

fundraising attempts. GCT 

supporter Dougie Poynter 

from McFly filmed himself 

putting on 26 jumpers, one of 

our supporters did 26 volleys, 

and another 26 planks in 26 

minutes! Nine month old 

baby Esther took 26 steps 

and Lina, aged 7 (whose mum 

works for our tourism partner 

Andean Trails), did a 2.6 km 

run. She had never run before 

but trained specifically for 

this challenge! 

GUIDED READING SESSION FOR HOME 

LEARNING AND TEACHERS 

Storytelling is a fantastic way to engage children 

in science and conservation. That’s why we have 

launched a free six-part guided reading session 

designed for readers aged between 7-11. These 

resources are for teachers, parents and carers and were 

developed by our Education Officer, Sarah Langford, 

based on our storybook Marti the Hammerhead Shark: A 

Galapagos Journey. 

The downloadable pack will give you all the resources 

you need to be able to teach, inspire and discuss Marti’s 

story with children whether at home or in the classroom. 

The book is now available to download for free as part 

of the pack, but you can also buy a hard copy through 

our online shop. Why not take this opportunity to learn, 

together, about the animals that call the waters around 

Galapagos home as well as the threats that these species 

© Kat Dougal 

HOW DO YOU WANT US TO COMMUNICATE WITH YOU? 

The pandemic has given us a chance to review the way we work, 

and how we communicate with our supporters. With many 

people now working at home, and more resources moving online, 

we want to give you the opportunity to let us know how you feel 

about digital communications. It is important that as many of you as 

possible let us know your views – details can be found on the back 

GALAPAGOS ON 

BBC NEWS 

As you will have seen earlier on page 7, around 

260 Chinese industrial fishing vessels were spotted 

on the edge of the Galapagos Marine Reserve in June, 

which is a shocking annual occurrence. On 17 July, the 

Galapagos Islands featured on the BBC News. President 

of the Governing Council of Galapagos, Norman Wray, 

and our Endangered Sharks of Galapagos partner, Dr Alex 

Hearn, were interviewed about these ships, and what the 

implications might be for vulnerable migratory species such 

as whale and hammerhead sharks. They also discussed how 

a large percentage of plastic pollution found on the Islands 

is of Asian origin, and the fact that these probably came 

from the Chinese fleet. You can watch the interviews on 

YouTube: youtu.be/b2EGEvxwXJw 


IN PURSUIT 

OF HOPE 

By Jonathan Green 

Tagging a whale shark © Simon Pierce 

I 

t was dawn off Darwin, 

the most northerly of all 

the islands in Galapagos, as we 

prepared for the first dive of the 

day on 5 September 2019. 

The conditions had not been in our 

favour and a powerful southerly current 

made the diving conditions difficult, 

threatening to pull us away from the 

protection of Darwin’s Arch and into the 

treacherous open ocean. 

Beneath the water, we spread out along 

the lava ledges, hugging the rock and 

maintaining visual contact, watching and 

waiting. Within minutes, the unmistakable 

shadow of a whale shark passed over us 

from the north. We let go of the wall in 

unison, swimming upwards towards the 

subadult female and succeeded in attaching 

a satellite tag without her even noticing. 

Hanging just below the surface, we watched 

as the outline of this shark slowly dissolved 

before us, taking tag #184027 with her into 

the void. 

It was almost two weeks later, back in port 

and with an internet connection, that we 

picked up the signal from this whale shark, 

an individual we decided to name Hope. 

Shortly after our encounter, she set out on a 

route that has now become familiar. 


15

Darwin's Arch is where most of the whale sharks are tagged © Jonathan Green 

The track from Hope's tag 

© 2020 Google 

Just north of Darwin (1), (see map above) 

some 2000 metres beneath the surface, lies 

the Galapagos Rift, an East-West tectonic 

divide in the ocean floor between the Cocos 

Plate to the north and the Nazca Plate to 

the south. At this landmark, Hope turned 

to the west like other whale sharks before 

her, apparently tracking the Rift out into the 

open Pacific. 

Hope continued her westerly travels until 

the last days of December, by which time 

she’d carried her tag over 3000 km from 

Darwin’s Arch. She looped back on herself 

(5) and headed southeast down to the East 

Pacific Rise, the fissure between the Pacific 

Plate to the west and the Nazca Plate to the 

east (6). Then, at the beginning of March 

this year, she dived and swam due east, 

resurfacing after some 500 km as if heading 

back towards Galapagos (7). But instead 

of making a single-loop migration as we 

imagined, she made a dramatic U-turn 

and swam west once more and in mid-May 

she re-crossed her own track from several 

months earlier (8). 

Hope’s last transmission came at the end 

of May (9). We do not know why we lost 

touch at this point in her travels. It’s possible 

that she dived down to 1800m or more, a 

depth at which the extreme pressure would 

have crushed the satellite tag. Alternatively, 

and worryingly, she may have encountered 

one of the many industrial 

fishing fleets that make 

this area one of the most 

intensely fished regions of 

the Pacific. After a month 

of no news, the team 

decided to check her last 

transmission. The data 

suggest that the tag was 

fully out of the water and 

that it was travelling much 

faster than the maximum 

speed of a whale shark. 

We cannot say for certain 

what happened to her and cannot be sure 

that she was captured. However, in previous 

years, two smaller female sharks we were 

tracking both stopped transmitting in this 

same patch of water. 

Whatever has happened, Hope has made 

history. She had covered, as the crow flies, 

the greatest distance that any of our tagged 

Galapagos whale sharks has travelled. She 

will, of course, have moved even further 

than this, as the satellite tag – which only 

transmits at the surface – can tell us nothing 

about the twists and turns she may have 

taken when out of range in the cold depths. 

Hope’s migration brings us closer to 

understanding the many factors – submarine 

geological features, water temperature, food 

availability and the drive to reproduce – that 

underlie the decisions these gentle giants 

make as they navigate the ocean. This is key 

to their conservation, as it is only with these 

insights that we will know when and why 

whale sharks are particularly vulnerable and 

how we can protect them throughout their 

incredible long-distance lives. 

This project is part of our Endangered 

Sharks of Galapagos Programme and 

benefits from the support of the Prince 

Albert II of Monaco Foundation 

(www.fpa2.org). 

Despite being the largest fish in the ocean, little 

is known about whale sharks © Jonathan Green 


INDUSTRIAL FISHING 

The disappearance earlier this year of Hope captured global 

interest, especially as her tag stopped working in an area of high 

industrial fishing effort. Every year industrial fishing fleets gather 

between the boundary of the Galapagos Marine Reserve (GMR) 

and the Ecuadorian Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) to make the 

most of the abundance of fish. There are serious concerns for the 

marine wildlife of Galapagos as many migratory species, including 

whale sharks, leave the safety of the GMR to travel to foraging 

and breeding grounds. The arrival of around 260 Chinese fishing 

vessels in June 2020 has led to the Ecuadorian government 

working on a ‘protection strategy’ for the Galapagos Islands, 

which could include extending both the EEZ and the GMR to cut 

off the corridor of international waters between the two areas. 

GCT and our project partners are very much hoping this 

becomes a reality and will do everything we can to support 

these efforts. 

By tagging whale sharks we are starting to understand 

where they go, and why © Simon Pierce 


17

FOOD FOR THOUGHT 

by Beth Byrne 

Harvesting maracuya (passionfruit) © Ashleigh Klingman 

This project is a chance for the family to learn about 

gardening together © Ashleigh Klingman 

I 

n the first few weeks of the COVID-19 lockdown, hundreds 

of thousands of people in the UK searched online for advice 

on how to start a vegetable patch or grow fruit in containers. At 

Galapagos Conservation Trust, we were no exception, with several 

staff members taking the opportunity to grow tomatoes, courgettes 

and other vegetables. 

While for many people growing vegetables 

at home has become an increasingly popular 

hobby, the ability to cultivate your own 

food is so much more critical in isolated 

places like the Galapagos Islands. Due to 

the pandemic, residents in Galapagos have 

been feeling the burden of lost income since 

the shutdown of tourism, which makes up 

more than 80% of the local economy. The 

poverty rate on the Islands will likely climb in 

2020 – before the pandemic 8% of families 

were already living below the poverty line – 

meaning homegrown food is more critical 

than ever. 

Hacienda Tranquila, SA (HTSA) “Peaceful 

Ranch” is a sustainable agricultural farm 

on San Cristobal. They noticed the need 

for increased food security and to support 

Lecocarpus darwinii © Ashleigh Klingman 

local families during this difficult time. 97% 

of the Islands is designated as National 

Park, which leaves just 3% for community 

life including farming, and many families 

do not live in homes with accessible green 

space. Approximately 75% of the fresh 

food consumed in Galapagos is imported 

from the mainland. With transportation 

restrictions in place, access to food has been 

increasingly limited and significantly more 

expensive. 

It is so important to encourage and 

support local people as they learn to grow 

their own food so they can become selfsufficient. 

In addition to the socio-economic 

benefits, there is substantial research which 

shows that people who connect with nature 

as children develop stronger conservation 

and sustainability values. They are more 

likely to protect the environment when they 

grow up. 40% of the 30,000 Galapagueños 

are under 15 years old and these young 

people are vital for building a culture 

of sustainable living and environmental 

awareness. 

With our project partners HTSA, the 

Urban Family Gardening for Tranquillity 

2020 project is using gardening to tackle 

food security during COVID-19. The 

project will harness HTSA’s skill of building 

community through purposeful humannature 

interactions and deepen the respect 

for nature with local families. It will develop 

a network by providing teachers with 

educational gardening packs and take this 

opportunity to support families while they 

adjust to the post-COVID world by helping 

them make their patios into a tranquil 

garden refuge. 

The educational gardening packs 

produced will contain fun yoga activity 

cards and creative character information 

cards that accompany two edible and 

two endemic plant seedlings. The project 

also looks to promote proper nutrition 

and creative cooking with a social media 

campaign to improve and vary diets, weekly 

recipe webinars and encourage sharing of 

recipes to inspire and motivate families. At 

the end of the project families will evaluate 

how their garden has performed and the 

connections they have forged with one 

another and nature. 

By facilitating the opportunity for families 

to grow their own food, we can help 

mitigate some of the financial hardship 

the Galapagos community faces from the 

sudden halt in tourism. Also, by increasing 

the accessibility of nature, we will inspire 

families and instil passion in the future 

ambassadors of Galapagos for the incredible 

wildlife that share their Islands. Without 

support and enthusiasm of the people who 

live in the Enchanted Isles, how will we ever 

be able to protect them? 

Cartoon flower and tomatoes produced 

for gardening packs © Sai Pathmanathan 


TEN YEARS IN 

THE LAND OF 

GIANTS 

Galapagos giant tortoises on southern flank of Alcedo volcano © GTMEP 

The Galapagos Tortoise Movement 

Ecology Programme (GTMEP) is ten 

years old. Henry Nicholls talks to ecologist 

Stephen Blake about how the project came 

about, what has been achieved over the last 

decade and why this work is so important. 

GTMEP project founder Steve Blake checks 

a tortoise tag © GTMEP 

Henry: Before coming to Galapagos, you’d 

spent much of your career working on forest 

elephants in the Congo Basin in central 

Africa. Forest elephants and giant tortoises 

seem like very different study species but 

there are lots of similarities aren’t there? 

Steve: Both are megavertebrates. They are 

the largest animals by far in their respective 

ecosystems. Both are keystone species 

and ecosystem engineers that exert an 

ecological impact that is disproportionate 

to their abundance. They both have very 

broad diets, eating well over 100 species of 

plant and, when fruit becomes available, will 

switch their diets to take advantage of these 

high-value foods. Tortoises and elephants 

eat way more fruit than any other species in 

their ecosystems and with a gut full of seeds, 

they plant them widely as they bulldoze 

their way through the landscape. That 

has important implications for the future 

dynamics of the habitats in which they occur. 

Henry: When you began the project in 2010, 

what did you set out to achieve? 

Steve: From Charles Darwin’s observations 

and those of park rangers and local farmers, 

we knew that there was a seasonal change 

in the distribution of tortoises, but we 

didn’t know the mechanics, energetics or 

evolutionary basis of these movements. I 

knew nothing about giant tortoises. I knew 

nothing about the Galapagos Islands. So, 

our initial questions were very simple: do 

tortoises on Santa Cruz island undergo longdistance, 

seasonal migrations? If they do, who 

moves, when, where, how and why? 

Henry: What did you find and why is this so 

important? 

Steve: By tracking individual tortoises 

across the landscape on several islands over 

many seasons, we now understand much 

better how many factors – temperature, the 

distribution of food, the location of nesting 

sites, the energetics of movement, the health 

of the tortoise – all determine the movement 

strategy of a tortoise, including whether it is 

likely to migrate or not. For some Galapagos 

tortoise species, migrations are important for 

their continued survival. However, migration 

routes can be degraded or even blocked, 

particularly on the inhabited islands. We 

now have a management hook to work with 

farmers, planning committees, local people 

and the Galapagos National Park (GNP) to 

minimise potentially negative effects of the 

very vibrant economic growth, and land use 

changes, which may impact the ecology 

of the tortoises. 

Henry: What next? 

Steve: We’ve now had ten years of building 

a research agenda that’s made a successful 

contribution to the management, and 

therefore conservation, of the Galapagos 

giant tortoises. We have a bit of a platform 

now to bring demonstrable technical 

knowledge to the table. Importantly, we 

have now passed on the mantle of GTMEP 

principal investigator to Jorge Carrión, a 

highly respected Galapageño who used 

to be director of the GNP. We have the 

potential to influence big decisions on the 

future of Galapagos that were unimaginable 

to us a decade ago. Hopefully we can help 

to integrate the needs of tortoises into the 

planning processes that will decide the 

ecological and socioeconomic future of 

the Archipelago. 

The Galapagos Tortoise Movement 

Ecology Programme is a multi-institutional 

collaboration among the Charles Darwin 

Foundation, the Max Planck Institute of 

Ornithology, the Galapagos National Park, 

Saint Louis Zoo Institute for Conservation 

Medicine, the Houston Zoo and 

Galapagos Conservation Trust. 

For some 

Galapagos 

tortoise species, 

migrations are 

important for their 

continued survival 


19

GLOBAL RELEVANCE 

ONE HEALTH: IT’S 

TIME TO RETHINK 

OUR RELATIONSHIP 

WITH NATURE 

by Sharon L. Deem 

I 

f there’s one thing that COVID-19 has laid bare, 

it’s that we cannot separate human health from 

the health of all other life on Earth. The coronavirus, 

SARS-CoV-2, is thought to have reached humans 

from a bat host, through an intermediary animal 

vector probably traded as a source of protein for the 

growing human population. 

Wildlife, livestock and humans live side by side in Galapagos © GTMEP 

The pandemic is a real wakeup call, reminding us that the way we 

interact with other species and the wider environment matters a lot. 

This is the simple message behind One Health, the collaborative 

effort of multiple disciplines — working locally, nationally and globally 

— to attain optimal health for people, animals and the environment. 

This movement highlights the health connections of the three arms of 

the One Health triad – animals, humans and environments – and asks 

us to work together to solve the many health crises of today. 

By way of an illustration, I give you Pseudogymnoascus destructans, 

a fungus that was first detected in the United States in 2006 that 

infected and killed North American bats in their millions. What has 

this got to do with human health and wellbeing? Bats control insect 

pests, feeding on many species that plague human crops and vectors 

like mosquitoes that carry viruses such as West Nile virus and Zika 

virus. So, without bats, we may be at increased risk of infectious 

diseases and we become more reliant than ever on pesticides. Bats 

are also pollinators, with a role in the fertilisation of some 300 fruit 

varieties. Indeed, it’s been estimated that the ‘ecosystem services’ 

provided by bats contribute almost $4 billion to US agriculture 

every year. We cannot continue to ignore the web of ecological 

connections. Put simply, a healthy planet equates to healthy humans. 

In Galapagos, as elsewhere, the health of humans, animals and 

environments are connected, and we need to pay attention to the 

three sides of the triangle. The overuse of antibiotics to treat human 

and livestock bacterial infections, for example, allows for strains 

of bacteria that are resistant to 

antibiotics to evolve. With humans 

in Galapagos living so close to 

protected areas, it’s very likely 

that these strains will find their 

way into the wider ecosystem, 

with consequences that may have 

serious negative health impacts on 

the endemic wildlife of Galapagos, 

the livestock species raised on the 

Islands, and the human inhabitants 

and tourists. 

With many of us now living in 

cities and away from nature, it is 

easy to ignore the importance of 

the profound connections between 

the health of humans, other species 

and the wider environment, but to 

do so is to invite a planetary heart 

attack. The COVID-19 pandemic 

provides the opportunity to reimagine 

a post-pandemic future. 

We each have a responsibility to 

ourselves, our communities and 

other species to embrace the One 

Health approach to ensure healthy 

humans, healthy animals and 

healthy environments. 

There are many ways to weave One Health into our daily lives. 

Buying less and reusing and recycling more will reduce your 

ecological footprint in an instant. Eating less meat and sourcing 

food from local, sustainable producers will reduce the movement 

of plants and animals, and hence the incidence of new zoonoses – 

diseases shared between human and non-human animals. Avoiding 

toxic chemicals when treating pests will minimise the introduction 

of disruptive chemicals into the environment. Picking up litter, 

particularly plastic waste, will contribute to the health of the oceans. 

And, of course, respecting the air and water on which we all depend 

will not only make you healthier, it also may just make you happy. 

For more ideas on how to help visit: stlzoo.org/diyconservation 


SUPPORTER PAGE 

© Nigel Puttick 

E 

veryone has been affected this year, with many lives changed owing to the global pandemic. The charity 

sector has been hit hard but your support has been overwhelming – even at a time when things will 

not be easy for many of you. As staff, we are always struck by your passion for the Islands. Whether recalling 

a trip made 30 years ago, planning a possible future trip or, in some cases, having never even set foot in 

Galapagos, the conversations we have with you evoke the same emotions – joy, wonder and affection. 

We thought it would be nice to share some of the comments we have received recently, which keep 

us going when times are hard. Many of these we have left as anonymous because they echo so many 

other similar comments from others. Together we make a strong force for change in Galapagos - thank you. 

Galapagos sea lion 

© Elena Sabella 

Glad you are such a dedicated group 

of caring people and hope things get 

back to normal with your vital work ASAP. 

Good luck to you all. 

Travelling round the Galapagos Islands 

was a once in a lifetime experience for 

me. I joined Galapagos Conservation 

Trust on my return and have supported 

it ever since. Good luck with everything 

you do! 

Keep up your excellent work - you are a 

brilliant example to us all in terms of how 

we should all be protecting our wildlife. 

“Having been supporters for 

several years, we have decided 

that the donations we will 

make in the next two years 

will be unrestricted – meaning 

that you can spend the money 

according to your most 

pressing needs. We believe 

that this type of flexible support 

is vital for charities in 

these uncertain times.“ 

Aurum Charitable Trust 

Hoping to revisit that magical place 

one day. 

I am a member but want to donate this 

small amount to help you keep up the 

good work. 

Hoping that you and your families will 

stay well and safe, and thinking of those 

on the Islands who are ill. Wishing and 

hoping they recover and thrive. 

Lucky enough to have visited - an 

amazing group of islands - will live in my 

memory for ever! 

In these challenging socially-distanced 

times, The Evolution Education Trust 

is delighted to be able to offer a grant 

to help GCT develop and deliver vital 

nature conservation education to 

children on the Islands. 

Dr Chris Lennard, Acting CEO, 

Evolution Education Trust 

I was hoping to fulfil a lifetime’s ambition 

and visit this year. Obviously, that’s not 

happened so hopefully this donation will 

help the Islands stay safe so I can visit in 

the future. 

A critical time for the Galapagos Islands 

and for GCT. 

Blue-footed boobies 

© Mia Taylor 

“I was very grateful to 

receive your magazine 

which really cheered me 

up during this strange time. 

Consequently, I bought 

one of your lovely t-shirts.” 

Waved albatrosses 

© Jose Rui da Cruz Moura Santos 

The overwhelming sense we get 

from people who have visited 

Galapagos is that the experience 

lives with them forever. Memories 

of Galapagos sea lions, 

frigatebirds and the comical 

blue-footed boobies are often 

mentioned by you. It is indeed 

“a magical place” as many of 

you say. Kelly Hague, Head of 

Individual Giving 


21

REVIEWS 

CONSERVING GALAPAGOS 

On the Backs of Tortoises: Darwin, the Galapagos, and 

the Fate of an Evolutionary Eden 

by Elizabeth Hennessy, Yale University Press, 2019, £20 

ISBN 9780300232745 

Reviewed by Henry Nicholls 

Galapagos is often viewed as a 

last foothold of pristine nature. 

For sixty years, conservationists 

have worked to restore this 

evolutionary Eden after centuries 

of exploitation at the hands 

of pirates, whalers and human 

settlers. With the giant tortoises 

as the keystone species of the 

Islands and an iconic flagship, 

Elizabeth Hennessy explores their 

position “at the crux of an alliance 

uniting science, conservation, 

and tourism” to show how 

deeply human and nonhuman 

life are entangled. On the Backs 

of Tortoises renders the history of Galapagos conservation in 

unprecedented detail and then begins to work away at questions 

that few visitors to the Islands will have given much thought to. In 

particular, Hennessy argues against the idea that conservation in 

Galapagos (or elsewhere) should be about restoration of species, 

ecologies and landscapes to some pre-human baseline and asks 

what it is that we are actually trying to conserve and for whom. 

Highly recommended. 

BREATHTAKING 

PHOTOGRAPHY 

A Lifetime in Galapagos 

by Tui de Roy, Bloomsbury, 

2020, £40 

ISBN 9780691194998 

Reviewed by Sharon Johnson 

What a joy it was to receive Tui de 

Roy’s book ‘A Lifetime in Galapagos’ 

in the post whilst in lock-down in 

London, particularly at a time when 

I was meant to be in Galapagos myself, perhaps even catching 

up with Tui in person. Her beautifully illustrated book features 

the most breathtaking photographs that only Tui could capture 

after being raised on the Islands by her pioneering parents. The 

introduction, which provides an unique insight into her life growing 

up in Galapagos and receiving her first SLR camera, sets the scene 

for the following chapters which bring you up close and personal 

to the spectacular wildlife captured through Tui’s lens. I was 

captivated towards the end of the book by the story of ‘Abuelo’ 

the marine iguana, which illustrates Tui’s deep connection with the 

wildlife she has grown up with. I am sure this connection cemented 

her destiny to become the world-renowned wildlife photographer 

that is she today. If you wish to be transported to Galapagos, this 

book of personal close encounter images of the wonders of the 

Islands, will certainly take you there. 

APPEAL 

PROTECTING ENDANGERED 

SPECIES FROM THE 

IMPACTS OF THE PANDEMIC 

As the Galapagos Islands start to reopen to the 

world, the effects of lockdown are emerging. There 

have been immediate impacts, such as the pause in the 

management of invasive species. Others will be longerterm, 

including the economic pressure on the natural 

resources of the Islands and the waters within, and 

surrounding, the Galapagos Marine Reserve. 

The Charles Darwin Foundation’s Mangrove Finch 

Project team had to rapidly leave the field suddenly, in the 

middle of the breeding season. This meant they had to 

abandon the finch nestlings at the mercy of the Philornis 

downsi fly larvae, which was present in all the nests they 

came across (see page 11). There is nothing they can do 

but hope they will find breeding adults ready to nest again 

next season. They need your help to make sure that they 

can return to the field in 2021 to ensure that next year’s 

nestlings survive. 

With the lockdown in Galapagos, came a pause in 

tourism – which makes up more than 80% of the local 

economy. This lack of employment prompted worries 

that illegal fishing would increase in the Galapagos 

Marine Reserve (GMR), which is home to one of the 

highest densities of sharks in the world. However, a more 

immediate threat came from outside of the GMR. In June, 

industrial fishing boats descended on the boundary of the 

GMR, providing a perilous journey for migratory species, 

such as whale and scalloped hammerhead sharks. We 

need to ramp up our efforts to provide safe corridors for 

these majestic creatures outside of the GMR by providing 

the evidence needed to create protected swimways 

through these dangerous waters – but we need your 

support to do so more urgently than ever. 

Please help us to ensure the survival of the unique 

wildlife of Galapagos in these extraordinary times 

by donating today. You can do so either using the 

form on the back page or by contacting the office 

on 020 7399 7440. 

© Michael Dvorak, CDF 


EVENTS 

For more information about events and to book your tickets, simply visit 

galapagosconservation.org.uk/events or call us on 020 7399 7440 

© Akemi Yokoyama 

GALAPAGOS DAY 

WEBINAR 

AUTUMN 2020 

Due to exceptional circumstances surrounding COVID-19 we 

are sad to have cancelled our usual Galapagos Day at the Royal 

Geographical Society. However, we are thrilled to be able to offer, 

instead, a special webinar. We are gathering a panel of experts to 

discuss what we are learning about the unique marine species in 

Galapagos, and what we can do about the threats that they face 

including industrial fishing and plastic pollution. 

For more details, please visit our Events webpage 

galapagosconservation.org.uk/events or email gct@gct.org. 

JOIN OUR CRUISE OF A 

LIFETIME 

Our bespoke Galapagos Conservation Trust cruise has 

been postponed to June 2021 so there is still an opportunity 

to join this unique way to see the Archipelago. We are pleased 

to be offering two options with the following dates: 8 day 

cruise: 18 – 25 June 2021; 17 day cruise: 8 – 25 June 2021. 

There are still two cabins available for both options. 

GCT supporters Gordon and Marilyn Plant have joined us on 

two cruises. This is what they had to say. “Quite apart from the 

satisfaction of knowing that we were supporting the work of GCT, 

the cruises themselves were exceptional with respect to the likeminded 

fellow passengers, the superb guides and the itinerary. 

The opportunity to meet individuals active in conservation and 

research added an extra dimension. If you plan to visit Galapagos, 

this is the way.” 

For more information please contact Kelly Hague at kelly@gct.org 

or visit: galapagosconservation.org.uk/gct-cruise 

© Wild Tracks 

GALAPAGOS MERCHANDISE 

Christmas cards 

All cards read: “Seasons Greetings/ 

Felice Fiestas” and come in packs of 10 

with envelopes. 

Don’t miss out on the opportunity to 

send a unique Christmas card this year. 

Our two designs are the humorous 

Santa Jaws and a beautifully illustrated 

little vermilion flycatcher card. Each 

design is £5 for a pack, or £9 for two. 

2021 calendars 

Our 2021 calendar is now ready to pre-order! Filled with 

stunning photos of underwater scenes, Galapagos’ animals 

in action and fabulous landscapes, this year’s calendar 

features images from our 2020 Galapagos photography 

competition, including the winning image ‘Waiting For a 

Meal’ by Marcos Miranda Correia. Only £10! (Pre-order 

shipping date planned for early October). 

Adopt an animal 

Adopting an animal is a great way to 

help conserve Galapagos – and makes a 

great Christmas present! Our adoptions 

come with a certificate, a collectable 

fact file, a soft toy and updates on 

our conservation work. This year we 

have also made our digital adoptions 

available to download immediately! 

Find our more here: 

bit.ly/GCT-Adoptions 

Order these and other Galapagos merchandise using the form on the back page or online at galapagosconservation.org.uk/shop 


23

Your support matters – and has made such 

a difference over the last few months. 

Thank you for helping us 

to ensure that our next 

underwater research trip can 

go ahead. While we can 

interpret satellite data 

remotely, it is crucial that we 

deploy new tags to continue 

to understand the mysteries 

of the world’s largest fish. 

With your help, I have been 

able to continue with online 

education activities in 

Galapagos including working 

on virtual education toolkits. 

Education is vital to the future 

of the wildlife of Galapagos, 

so thank you for your 

ongoing support. 

Due to the pandemic, we 

had to unexpectedly leave 

the field in the middle of the 

mangrove finch breeding 

season, meaning we were 

unable to protect this year’s 

fledglings from Philornis 

downsi. Please continue to 

help our work. 

Galapagos Whale Shark Project 

Founder and Director 

Galapagos Conservation Trust 

Outreach Coordinator 

Mangrove Finch Project 

Leader 

COVID-19 has affected GCT’s income this year and will likely do so in 2021 

as well. Without your loyalty, we would not be able to support the people that 

are protecting the unique wildlife of Galapagos. Please continue helping us to 

ensure that some of the rarest species in the world do not disappear forever.

Galapagos Matters Autumn Winter 2020 - Galapagos Conservation Trust

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