New Expedition to Santa Fe Island: Our Commitment to Ecological Restoration

This week, a team of 10 experts, including scientists from the Galápagos Conservancy and park rangers from the Galápagos National Park Directorate, embarked on a seven-day expedition to Santa Fe Island. Under the leadership of Washington Tapia, our CEO, the group has taken on the mission of monitoring efforts to restore the island's ecology.

This endeavor is made possible by the Galápagos Initiative, a carefully planned collaborative conservation program implemented by the Galápagos Conservancy through its operational unit Conservando Galápagos and the Galápagos National Park Directorate. This initiative aims to implement strategic conservation measures to restore ecologically important species and their habitats.

The team arrived at their destination after a 20-mile journey by sea and land from St. Croix Island . Once they reached Santa Fe, they transported equipment, water, and supplies across two miles of rocky, arid terrain to establish a base camp in the central region of the island. This complex logistical effort underscores our ongoing commitment to restoring and monitoring Santa Fe's biodiversity.

The team, comprised of five specialized teams, performed complex tasks during their expedition. They focused on monitoring the condition of giant tortoises introduced to the island and assessing sites to monitor revegetation. The team also looked for turtle nests to determine whether the turtles had begun to reproduce, and examined the distribution of turtles and land iguanas throughout the island. A drone was deployed to obtain images that will facilitate detailed long-term measurement of vegetation changes in the area.

Dr. Jorge Carrion, our Director of Conservation, emphasizes that the data collected during this expeditions will be critical to assessing changes in iguana and Opuntia cactus populations in recent years in response to turtle introductions. “In addition, the expedition will include the search for skeletal remains of turtles and iguanas for isotope analysis. “This will provide valuable information about the ecological interactions between these two important species on the island, especially how their diets overlap,” said Dr. Carrion.

We look forward to the results of this expedition, which promises to provide valuable information on the conservation and restoration of Santa Fe Island's biodiversity. These efforts are made possible by the continued support of people dedicated to the conservation of the Galapagos Islands, whose generous donations make these vital conservation efforts possible.

Source: galapagos.org