CDF has been meeting the challenge of invasive species in Galapagos since the 1960´s. Here are some of the landmark successes.
Santiago island free of pigs and goats
© CDFFeral pigIn 1968, Dr. Uno Eliasson described the influence of introduced animals on the natural vegetation of the Galapagos Islands, and the devastation goats and pigs had caused on Santiago island. The last pig was removed in 2000, after a thirty-year campaign, and in mid-2006, as part of the huge eradication and restoration program known as Project Isabela, Santiago and Isabela are believed to be free of feral goats and donkeys.
Even though the climate has been dry during this period and there has been no El Niño event to accelerate vegetation recovery, the effects have been dramatic.
Fire ants removed from Marchena island
The little fire ant, Wasmannia auropunctata has infested several islands in the Galapagos archipelago. In 2000 the Galapagos National Park Service and the CDF began a program to clear Marchena of this pest. Experimental management techniques were used to clear the ants from 22 hectares of the island. Since 2002, no fire ants have been found on Marchena: monitoring must continue for another year before this can be finally confirmed.
Cottony cushion scale under control
Rodolia cardinalis
The cottony cushion scale insect has been attacking mangrove stands in many areas of the Galapagos. After careful trials, the first ever recorded introduction of a species for the purpose of biological control took place when the Australian ladybug Rodolia cardinalis was released to combat the scale insect.
In areas where monitoring has occurred, the positive effects are very clear. Before the release of Rodolia cardinalis, the mangrove stands of the town of Puerto Ayora on Santa Cruz Island were blackened and dying from the effects of the cottony cushion scale. These mangroves are now green and thriving.