Galapagos Matters Autumn Winter 2020 - Galapagos Conservation Trust

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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- AUTUMN/WINTER 2020 7
Page 1 and 2: GALAPAGOSMATTERS AUTUMN/WINTER 2020
Page 3 and 4: FROM THE CHIEF EXECUTIVE by Sharon
Page 5: WILD GALAPAGOS This Galapagos short
Page 9 and 10: © Charlotte Meloy “Some people a
Page 11 and 12: HOW TO CONTROL A PARASITE The micro
Page 13 and 14: Taking health stats and key measure
Page 15 and 16: IN PURSUIT OF HOPE By Jonathan Gree
Page 17 and 18: INDUSTRIAL FISHING The disappearanc
Page 19 and 20: TEN YEARS IN THE LAND OF GIANTS Gal
Page 21 and 22: SUPPORTER PAGE © Nigel Puttick E v
Page 23 and 24: EVENTS For more information about e

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