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The Charles Darwin Foundation will attend the third UN Ocean Conference and the One Ocean Science Congress in Nice, co-hosting and speaking at events across the Blue and Green Zones. Join us as we highlight marine science, regional collaboration, and urgent action for ocean conservation.

Since 1959, the Charles Darwin Foundation has been on the frontlines of scientific research and conservation action in the Galapagos Islands. Join us on our mission to safeguard one of our planet’s most important natural treasures Discover our research and conservation programs today.

Discover how our projects foster the protection of the Galapagos Islands and how we work to ensure that they remain a natural paradise for generations to come.

Mangroves in Galapagos provide important habitat for endemic and threatened species, offer essential ecosystem services like carbon sequestration, and support the well-being of local communities through tourism and fisheries. Despite their importance and pristine condition, these mangrove ecosystems and their potential for climate mitigation remain understudied.

In Galapagos, 83% of the landmass falls within the arid zone. Restoring plant communities in this zone is challenging and slow, and natural regeneration in severely degraded areas is very limiting. Our scientists work to restore the arid habitat across various islands in the archipelago, notably Baltra Island, which has undergone significant human alteration, and special use sites such as garbage dumps and quarries on inhabited islands.

Discover our work researching ocean ecosystems and conserving key marine species in Galapagos and the Eastern Tropical Pacific.

Galapagos penguins, flightless cormorants, waved albatross, and flamingos are among the most iconic birds in Galapagos. Yet, these sentinel species are all classified as threatened on the International Union for Conservation of Nature’s Red List, and face continued risk of population decline.

The introduction of alien species is arguably the most important driver of biodiversity loss for oceanic islands. Our work seeks to evaluate the effects of alien invasive species, climate change, and other anthropogenic pressures on the biodiversity of the Galapagos Marine Reserve and the Eastern Tropical Pacific in order to better sustain coastal communities and prevent marine species extinction.

Important feeding and nesting sites for the endangered East Pacific green turtle in Galapagos are increasingly threatened by tourism, marine traffic and climate change. Our research is helping to identify the key areas where sea turtles are most vulnerable, and to develop solutions to protect them in the long term.

Ecologically, the ocean is one interconnected system. Yet international law has divided it into arbitrary maritime zones based on geopolitical interests. Our research seeks to improve transnational ocean governance and conservation outcomes in the Eastern Tropical Pacific, through collaboration with scientists, academics, practitioners, and decision-makers.

Sharks have thrived on our planet for over 400 million years. Yet overfishing has drastically reduced global shark populations, with many shark species now threatened with extinction. Our scientific work seeks to inform conservation measures, so sharks are better protected in Galapagos and the Eastern Tropical Pacific.

The Eastern Tropical Pacific conceals extraordinary, vast deep-ocean ecosystems, plunging from oceanic islands to depths of 3,800 meter, most of which remain largely unexplored, presenting real challenges for effective protection and management. Despite their significance, these ecosystems are poorly understood and subject to persistent threats, including overfishing, climate change, pollution, and the prospect for deep-sea mining.

Mangroves in Galapagos provide important habitat for endemic and threatened species, offer essential ecosystem services like carbon sequestration, and support the well-being of local communities through tourism and fisheries. Despite their importance and pristine condition, these mangrove ecosystems and their potential for climate mitigation remain understudied.

Explore our efforts to combat invasive species, restore fragile ecosystems, and safeguard the Galapagos's iconic land-based fauna and flora.

Giant tortoises are emblems of Galapagos. They are critical ecosystem engineers and they are also important for the local economy. Yet all 12 species of Galapagos Giant Tortoises are of conservation concern. Our work focuses on conserving these gentle giants through research and education.

In a race against time, our scientists are working hard to find ways to control the avian vampire fly (Philornis downsi), an invasive parasitic fly that is affecting the survival of the unique small landbirds of the Galapagos Islands, including the iconic Darwin’s finches.

Scalesia forests once thrived on the Galapagos Islands, forming a unique humid ecosystem for plants, insects, giant tortoises and birds. Today, only 1% of the forests’ original distribution remains, with several endemic species, including the Scalesia themselves, struggling to survive. We are working to restore this important habitat and given the rapid rate of forest loss, it is a race against time.

It is estimated that 20% of the populations of small landbirds found on the Galapagos Islands are declining or have gone locally extinct. Our scientists work to ensure the long-term conservation of small Galapagos landbird populations for the health of the islands’ ecosystems at large.

More than half of the endemic plant species in Galapagos are currently classified as threatened. The potential loss of these imperiled species not only disrupts ecosystem integrity, but also jeopardizes the survival of iconic native fauna that depend on it. We are updating the IUCN Red List of endangered plant species of Galapagos in order to enable targeted species conservation actions.