Results
In 1966, a course at the Charles Darwin Research Station marked the beginning of environmental education in Galápagos. Teachers learned to use the natural environment as a teaching tool, linking conservation and community. This experience laid the foundation for context-based education that remains essential to protect the islands’ unique ecosystems.
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.
Since its inception in 1971, our Scholarship Program has enabled over 250 students from Galapagos to complete their education and pursue careers in conservation.
The CDF joins the Island-Ocean Connection Challenge to Implement Community-Based Monitoring and Safeguard Island Ecosystems
Dr. Syuzo Itow, a Japanese botanist and professor at Nagasaki University, was a key figure in the study of Galápagos. He researched the Scalesia forests, helped secure long-term support for botanical work at the Charles Darwin Foundation, and in 2005 founded the Japanese Association of Friends of Galápagos (JAGA), fostering scientific and cultural exchange between Japan, Galápagos, and the Ogasawara Islands.
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.
Satellite tagging reveals that silky sharks spend nearly half their time outside Eastern Tropical Pacific marine reserves, exposing them to intense industrial fishing. Tracking 40 sharks from Galápagos, researchers uncover critical gaps in MPA networks and call for expanded protections to better safeguard this vulnerable, wide-ranging species in the region.
The Charles Darwin Foundation and WWF launch project "Habla Tiburón" to promote the conservation of sharks and rays and empower fishing communities in mainland and insular Ecuador
The G.T. Corley Smith Library at the Charles Darwin Foundation holds the world’s most comprehensive collection of publications on the Galápagos Islands. Its “Galápagos Collection” includes both scientific and grey literature, making it an invaluable resource for research and conservation. A digitization effort is underway to expand global access to this knowledge.