In November 2007, the Charles Darwin Foundation (CDF) celebrated the successful completion of its responsibilities in the Global Environment Facility funded project Control of Invasive Species in the Galapagos Archipelago.
The project was launched in 2001 with the main objective of empowering Galapagos institutions to manage invasive species and guard against future bio-invasions. This project was implemented by the United Nations Development Program and its executors were the CDF, the Galapagos National Park Service (GNPS), the Galapagos branch of the Ecuadorian Agricultural Health Service (SESA-Galapagos), and the Galapagos National Institute (INGALA). Co-financing was provided by the United Nations Fund, Inter-American Development Bank, the Government of Ecuador, the Galapagos Conservation Fund, and other donors.
CDF played a pivotal role in the project and was involved in strengthening biosecurity, developing tools for research and for prioritizing conservation management actions, designing cost effective methods for eradicating and controlling highly invasive species, and building community awareness about the impacts of introduced species.
Perhaps, the most publicized achievement of the project is the recovery of native vegetation on Santiago Island and Northern Isabela after the removal of goats and donkeys. For example, on Santiago, the critically endangered daisy tree, Scalesia atractyloides var. darwinii, has increased from 5 plants recorded in 1995 to 1,400 plants today.
The CDF has also developed techniques for eradicating invasive species such as fire ants, cats, and plants and ecosystems are beginning to recover in areas where these species have been eliminated. During the project GNPS and CDF have successfully eradicated 7 species from individual islands and 3 invasive species from the entire archipelago. Teams of Galapagos residents who were trained during the project are now applying these new eradication techniques throughout Galapagos, and, furthermore, these methods are now being used in other parts of the world.
Considerable groundwork was carried out to identify major invasive species threats in Galapagos and to learn more about how these species interact with Galapagos species. Inventories of the urban and agricultural zones found 370 new introduced plant records and 200 new introduced invertebrate records. As a result of these surveys, the reference collections have expanded considerably. Databases have been compiled for introduced vertebrates, plants, and invertebrates, making information available to decision makers about their biology, distribution, and possible control. Tools have also been developed to identify which species pose the greatest risk to Galapagos and where in the archipelago immediate management actions are required.
Effective barriers to new species introductions is a priority for Galapagos and consequently CDF has worked to strengthen the Inspection and Quarantine System (SICGAL) which was initiated in 1999. Among the outcomes of this project were procedures manuals for inspectors and technicians, protocols for fumigation of planes and boats, and a risk analysis methodology to evaluate what products can be imported to Galapagos. An early warning system was also implemented on inhabited islands with technicians trained to monitor the ports of entry, agriculture zones, and airplanes for the arrival of high risk pests.
To prevent the establishment of new, dangerous invasive species, such as mosquitoes carrying West Nile Virus, CDF helped design a multi-institutional rapid response system, develop contingency plans, and train a rapid response team.
It is critical to involve the local community in invasive species management. CDF has helped in the development of two important committees: the Agricultural Health and SICGAL Committee (located in Santa Cruz) and two Inter-institutional Introduced Species Committees (located on San Cristobal and Santa Cruz Islands). Communication campaigns were run throughout the project to reach wider audiences; pamphlets, posters and numerous television and radio spots were produced. Schoolchildren are a large component of the Galapagos community. Over 12,000 students participated in events to learn about invasive species impacts, with many actively participating in invasive species projects, such as invertebrate monitoring. Additionally, 30 teachers were trained to teach introduced species concepts.
Much has been achieved, but there is still much to do, and as 2007 draws to a close, our challenge is to find funding to continue these projects and effectively implement an integrated and permanent system for the Total Control of Invasive Species in Galapagos.
Congratulations to all the committed people at CDF involved in making this happen as well as to our Galapagos partners in this project!