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Mattias Klum
CDF Launches Ambassador Program with Renowned Photographer Mattias Klum

The Charles Darwin Foundation (CDF) is excited to launch its Ambassador Program, a platform for passionate advocates who share our vision of protecting the Galapagos Islands—one of our planet’s most extraordinary natural treasures—through science and conservation action.

Carlos Espinosa/CDF
158 Endangered Tortoises Released onto Floreana Island, Galápagos for First Time in over 180 Years

After more than 180 years, 158 endangered giant tortoises have returned to Floreana Island, marking a historic milestone in the Galápagos’ largest restoration effort. Discover how science, community leadership, and global collaboration are bringing back a lost lineage—and rebuilding an entire ecosystem from the ground up.

Carlos Espinosa/CDF
CDF teams up with OFC for long-term Galapagos conservation goals.

The Charles Darwin Foundation and Oceans Finance Company are delighted to announce a strategic partnership aimed at advancing crucial long-term conservation initiatives to enhance resilience to climate change in the archipelago and surrounding areas.

Billy Bensted-Smith/CDF
Rediscovered Coral Signals Hope for Galapagos Reefs

A scientific team led by the Charles Darwin Foundation (CDF) and the California Academy of Sciences (CAS), in collaboration with the Galapagos National Park Directorate (GNPD) has confirmed that Rhizopsammia wellingtoni—a solitary coral thought to be lost for a generation— is alive and clinging to Galapagos’ underwater cliffs.

Carlos Espinosa/CDF
When the Garúa Disappears: A New Research Unit Will Study the Future of the Galápagos Cloud Forests

A new international research initiative is investigating how climate change could reshape the Galápagos cloud forests by altering the iconic garúa fog. Discover how scientists will study water, biodiversity, and invasive species to generate the knowledge needed to protect the archipelago’s unique ecosystems and freshwater resources for future generations.

12 Little Vermilion Flycatcher chicks fledge the nest

12 Little Vermilion Flycatcher chicks fledge the nest, in most successful nesting season yet in Santa Cruz Island

Juan Manuel García
Since 1973, Peter and Rosemary Grant Have Shown That Evolution Can Be Seen in Real Time

In 1973, evolutionary scientists Peter Grant and Rosemary Grant began a research project in the Galápagos Islands that would permanently change the modern understanding of evolution.

Pelayo Salinas de León/CDF
Silky shark's record-breaking migration of more than 27,000 km on the Tropical Eastern Pacific sheds light on urgent conservation need

Silky shark's record-breaking migration of more than 27,000 km on the Tropical Eastern Pacific sheds light on urgent conservation need

Pelayo Salinas de León/CDF
Silky shark's record-breaking migration of more than 27,000 km on the Tropical Eastern Pacific sheds light on urgent conservation need

Silky shark's record-breaking migration of more than 27,000 km on the Tropical Eastern Pacific sheds light on urgent conservation need

Carlos Espinosa/CDF
A Near Extinct Plant in Galápagos Is Now Recovering

Once on the brink of extinction, the Galápagos snapdragon (Galvezia leucantha) is showing encouraging signs of recovery after 30 years of conservation. From just six surviving plants to 28 adults today, science, restoration and collaboration are helping bring this critically endangered species back to its historic habitat. Discover its remarkable journey.

SOI
Lost millennium of Galápagos deep-sea corals linked to major Pacific climate shift

Scientists have uncovered a hidden collapse of Galápagos deep-sea corals, revealing a 1,000-year disappearance linked to ancient climate shifts. By reconstructing 117,000 years of ocean history, the study exposes the vulnerability—and resilience—of these unseen ecosystems, offering urgent insights into how climate change could reshape life in the deep ocean.

Rashid Cruz/CDF
Between Science and Motherhood

Andrea Daniela Coloma is a marine bird researcher and devoted mother of two, proving that science and motherhood can thrive side by side. Discover how her passion for conservation, rooted in the Galapagos, intersects with family life—and how the Charles Darwin Foundation supports this meaningful balance. Read her story.

Mara Speece / CDF
New DNA evidence reshapes understanding of the Galapagos Vermilion Flycatchers

New DNA research reveals that Galápagos Vermilion Flycatchers are not one species, but a mosaic of long-isolated island lineages. By uncovering hidden genetic diversity, scientists are reshaping conservation priorities and taxonomic understanding—find out how evolution, extinction, and restoration efforts intersect across the archipelago.

CDF
This newly-discovered blue octopus from the Galápagos Islands could curl up in the palm of your hand

A tiny blue octopus discovered nearly 6,000 feet beneath the waters of Galápagos is rewriting what scientists know about deep-sea life. From a chance encounter during an underwater expedition to cutting-edge CT scans revealing a species never seen before, this remarkable discovery highlights the mysteries still hidden in Earth’s oceans.