This work highlights the value of trophic studies to generate useful information for ecosystem-based fisheries management.
Threatened shark species are caught in large numbers by artisanal and commercial fisheries and traded globally. Monitoring both which shark species are caught and sold in fisheries, and the export of CITES-restricted products, are essential in reducing illegal fishing.
DNA sequences were obtained from 32 blade-forming Ulva specimens collected in 2018 and 2019 from four islands in the Galápagos Archipelago.
Developing areas need alternative sources to fund renewable energy projects. Contingent valuation is applied to elicit tourists’ willingness to donate.
Analysis of 430 sites to assess plastic pollution in ET/SE Pacific. No significant difference in plastic levels inside / outside of Marine Protected Areas.
Despite their short evolutionary history, rails have colonized seven different islands spanning the entire width of the archipelago.
Grabs reveal four-orders of magnitude greater microplastic abundances than tows. 44 % of microplastic particles in seawater grabs were <200 μm. Plankton tows (mesh size 200 μm) underestimate seawater microplastic concentrations.
Marine megafauna are increasingly threatened and are difficult to protect. Understanding the influence of humans on body size in fishes is also challenging given that data on marine species often come from fishery-based activities.
These findings provide evidence of Galapagos sea lion adopting a trophic flexibility to tune their diets to different ecological contexts. Tropical ecosystems are challenging for pinnipeds due to fluctuating food availability.
Virus surveillance in wildlife is important to understanding ecosystem health, taxonomy, and evolution. Nevertheless, viruses in reptiles, and specifically in squamates, continue to be understudied. We conducted a health assessment on the critically endangered pink land iguana.
Novel herpesvirus in the critically endangered Galapagos pink land iguana Read More »
Galapagos Science Center © 2024 | Developed by Lucky Frog Studios
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!