A CDF/Earthwatch Institute collaboration
CDF scientists are working with the Earthwatch Institute to protect a unique and threatened Galapagos ecosystem from invasive alien species. Guided by the scientists, Earthwatch volunteers have mapped, weeded and monitored 25 hectares of endangered Scalesia forest to determine the effect active management has on the regeneration of native species.
Scalesia pedunculata is an endemic tree related to the daisy and is only found on three islands in the Galapagos Archipelago. The largest remaining stand of Scalesia forest on Santa Cruz Island is found at Los Gemelos, a popular tourist site. This unique forest type has been severely degraded on other islands by introduced goats, and on Santa Cruz Island it has been cleared for agriculture and invaded by introduced plant species.
Invasive alien species are rapidly replacing the native species at Los Gemelos and without active management this unique forest could be lost in a few decades.
In the first field season of the project, nine introduced species were mapped in the entire 25 hectare study area. Forty monitoring plots were established to determine a baseline inventory of all introduced and native plants in the area. The current stage of the project is the manual and herbicidal control of five of the introduced species that are aggressively invading Los Gemelos: quinine (Cinchona pubescens), guava (Psidium guayaba), Cuban cedar (Cedrela odorata), sauco (Cestrum auriculatum), and passionfruit (Passiflora edulis). Earthwatch volunteers assist in invasive species control, data collection, and monitoring of native and introduced plants.
The Earthwatch Institute is an international non-profit that offers the public a chance to contribute to conservation and science through over 140 research projects around the world. The Galapagos Invasion project will run until December 2006. For more information about how to participate in this Earthwatch project, please visit: www.earthwatch.org.