The Charles Darwin Research Station is home to the largest Natural History Collections of endemic, native and introduced species of the Galapagos Islands in Ecuador. It is also one of the largest in the world with over 135,000 specimens from more than 7,500 species.

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.

Record Year for Vermilion Flycatcher Season and Advances in the Recovery of the Mangrove Finch

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.

Phil van Haarlem was truly a force of nature. In celebration of his life, and to honour his time with us over the last 10 years, we have asked colleagues and friends to tell us their unique experience with Phil, whom we miss dearly.

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.

18 NGOs and civil society organisations have today published a statement calling for the governments of Ecuador, Costa Rica, Colombia and Panama to ratify the UN High Seas Treaty in order to accelerate the protection of the oceans.