In a joint effort to protect the unique biodiversity of the islands, representatives from the public and private sectors, NGOs, transport cooperatives, and local governments gathered to understand the factors and solutions to reduce bird mortality on the roads of Galápagos caused by vehicles, the road connecting Puerto Ayora to the Itabaca Channel is of great importance as it passes through protected and productive areas of the island.

The new Galápagos Atlas 2026 offers a 309-page look at 68 species and species groups, combining purpose-built distribution maps with something rarely found in a reference guide: a clear record of what scientists still don’t know. Free to explore online, it highlights critical knowledge gaps and invites future research to strengthen conservation.

In 1985, the Charles Darwin Foundation created the Darwin Scientific Foundation in the United States to manage an endowment built with The Nature Conservancy and the Smithsonian. It allowed American donors to make tax-deductible contributions and gave scientific work in Galápagos stable, long-term funding that still endures four decades later.