2020 Impact report 2020 - Galapagos Conservation Trust

OUR CONNECTING WITH NATURE
PROGRAMME
continues to engage young people, their families
and teachers with the wildlife of Galapagos, the
science and our conservation work - despite the
challenges of the global pandemic. We directly
reached 6% of the Galapagos population through
our outreach programmes in 2020.
Gills Club was delivered online to
12 highly engaged girls, including
talks and educational activities.
© Gills Club
I am inspired by the network
of resilient and creative families
we are connecting through
this project. Many people had
never cultivated plants before,
and now they are hooked! The
local teachers love working
together as a group and learning
more about the special plants
growing on our island. This is
only the beginning of yet another
positive process born out of the
COVID-19 crisis.
– Ashleigh Klingman, GCT’s
Connecting with Nature Programme partner
and Urban Family Gardening Project coordinator
© Ashleigh Klingman
MARTI THE HAMMERHEAD SHARK
• Guided reading sessions created as a free
resource in English and Spanish to support
home-learning during the pandemic.
As a woman growing up in Galapagos and pursuing
a science career, I am extremely aware of the
day-to-day challenges for local girls. The Gills
Club offers an opportunity for local girls to get
involved in science while meeting female role
models from an early stage. – Diana Pazmiño,
Shark Scientist and GCT's Connecting with
Nature Programme partner
• Leidy Apolo, GCT’s Ocean Outreach Coordinator,
delivered our Marti guided reading sessions
digitally via WhatsApp and Zoom reaching 251
students across the Islands.
• Collaborated with the library on Santa Cruz to
deliver COVID-19 safe sessions with visiting children.
• Join Science delivered 4 internships to young
scientists on San Cristobal.
• 2 Connecting with Nature days were delivered
to the community pre-lockdown. 5 online events
were delivered reaching 300 community members
between April and August on San Cristobal.
• The Urban Family Gardening Project was launched
in July on San Cristobal. 7 teachers and 150 families
participated planting 566 seedlings.
DISCOVERING GALAPAGOS
• 6,100 visits to the Discovering Galapagos
website each month (+2%).
• Launched our updated Teachers Zone.
• 278,300 visits to Descubriendo Galapagos (+73%)
and 3,900 downloads of our resources on TES (+18%).
• 4 teacher training sessions with three UK universities
reached 120 teachers.
© Ashleigh Klingman
We already had a small garden
going at the beginning of
the project, but we feel this
type of project is essential for
families given the challenges
COVID-19 has posed. Our
daughter Melody has named
her plants, and we all enjoy
a moment of peace as we
care for them daily.
– The De La Torre Sanchez family
• Supported ‘home learning’ in Galapagos as schools
were closed all year through translation of teaching
materials and development of two teaching packs,
primarily delivered over WhatsApp due to poor
internet connectivity.
Our Partners Delivering Projects in 2020
Santa Cruz: Charles Darwin Foundation, Ecology Project International,
Galapagos National Park Directorate, Giant Tortoise Movement Ecology
Programme
San Cristobal: Galapagos Science Center, Hacienda Tranquila SA, MigraMar
Isabela: Charles Darwin Foundation (via Ernesto Bustamente)
Floreana: Durrell Wildlife Conservation Trust, Island Conservation
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