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.

Scientists from the Charles Darwin Foundation’s shark ecology and conservation program and collaborators, have published what is likely the first-ever scientifically recorded birthing migration for the critically endangered scalloped hammerhead shark (Sphyrna lewini).

For the first time in Galápagos, researchers established 24 mesocosms that simulate natural ponds to study freshwater ecosystems. The experiment examines how nutrients provided by giant tortoises can alter water conditions and how these changes relate to the development of tadpoles of the archipelago’s only introduced tree frog Scinax quinquefasciatus.

The world conservation movement and the Galapagos Islands lost a passionate supporter, pioneering conservationist, mentor and friend with the death of Dr. Craig George MacFarland in April 2025.

In 1984, six years after becoming a World Heritage Site, Galápagos was designated a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve. Peter Kramer's 1980 proposal and Köster and Villa's 1983 research built the scientific case, showing that reconciling conservation with sustainable development, economic growth, tourism, urbanization, and immigration required integrating ecological and social criteria.

The Charles Darwin Foundation (CDF) is pleased to unveil the Galapagos Introduced Species Dashboard, the first open-access digital repository of information about species introduced to the Galapagos Islands.