The Board of Directors of the Charles Darwin Foundation for the Galapagos Islands and the Ambassador of the Republic of Ecuador to the United States, Ivonne A-Baki, held a meeting to strengthen ties between the two organizations.

The event highlighted the importance of science for the conservation of the islands, which CDF has been carrying out for more than 62 years at their field Research Station together with various partner organizations. The role of the embassy in the recent creation of the new Galapagos marine reserve "Hermandad" was also highlighted.

A friend of Ecuador, Sylvia Earle, told me "Galapagos encloses innocence, the child all of us have. This is the kind and strong message Ecuador brings to the World." expressed H. E. Ivonne Baki.

Rakan Zahawi, CDF Executive Director, explained to the attendees the projects currently being implemented and the progress achieved so far on some of the critical conservation efforts underway today. "The CDF is overseeing more than 25 major research project in Galapagos at present, many of which are in partnership with other international institutions. And with the declaration of the new marine reserve, Ecuador has taken on a leadership role for conservation efforts in the world," he said.

This event is expected to raise awareness of CDF's work in the Galapagos Islands, which aims to generate research that can advance conservation of critical habitat and the unique species that inhabit the archipelago.