(Redirected from Galapagos Islands)''This article is about the islands. For song "Galapagos" by The Smashing Pumpkins, see
Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness. For the BBC nature documentary series see
Galápagos (TV series)''
Orthographic projection centred over the Galápagos.
The 'Galápagos Islands' (Official name: Archipiélago de Colón; other Spanish names: ''Islas de Colónumio'' or ''Islas Galápagos'', from ''galápago'', "saddle"—after the shells of saddlebacked
Galápagos tortoises) are an
archipelago of
volcanic islands distributed around the
equator, 965 kilometres (about 600 miles) west of continental
Ecuador in the
Pacific Ocean ().
The Galápagos archipelago, with a population of around 30,000, is a
province of
Ecuador, a country in northwestern
South America, and the islands are all part of Ecuador's national park system.
They are famed for their vast number of
endemic species and the studies by
Charles Darwin during
the voyage of the ''Beagle'' that contributed to the
inception of Darwin's theory of
evolution by
natural selection.
Etymology
The archipelago has been known by many different names, including the "Enchanted Islands" because of the way in which the strong and swift
currents made
navigation difficult. The first crude
navigation chart of the islands was done by the
buccaneer Ambrose Cowley in 1684, and in those charts he named the islands after some of his fellow
pirates or after the
English noblemen who helped the pirates' cause. The term "Galápagos" refers to the Spanish name given to the Giant Land Tortoises known to inhabit the islands.
The adjective "Galápagan" may be used to describe things from or related to the islands.
Physical Geography
Satellite photo of the Galápagos islands overlayed with the names of the visible main islands.
The group consists of 13 main islands, 6 smaller islands, and 107 rocks and
islets. The islands are located at a geological
hot spot, a place where the earth's crust is being melted from below by a
mantle plume, creating volcanos. The oldest island is thought to have formed between 5 and 10 million years ago. The youngest islands,
Isabela and
Fernandina, are still being formed, with the most recent
volcanic eruption in
2007.
The main islands of the archipelago (with their
English names) shown alphabetically. :
Baltra (South Seymour)
Main articles: Baltra Island
During WW II Baltra was established as a US Air Force Base. Crews stationed at Baltra patrolled the Pacific for enemy submarines as well as providing protection for the Panama Canal. After the war the facilities were given to the government of Ecuador. Today the island continues as an official Ecuadorian military base.
Until 1986, Baltra was the only airport serving the Galápagos. Now there are two airports, the other located on San Cristobal Island; most flights operating in and out of Galápagos still fly into Baltra.
During the 1930's scientists decided to move 70 of Baltra's Land Iguanas to the neighboring island of North Seymour as part of an experiment. This move had unexpected results for during the WWII military occupation of Baltra, the native iguanas became extinct on the island. During the 1980s iguanas from North Seymour were brought to the Darwin Station as part of a breeding and repopulation project and in the 1990s land iguanas were reintroduced to Baltra.
Bartolomé
Main articles: Bartolomé Island
View from Bartolomé Island, Galápagos Islands, March 2002
Named after Lt. David Bartholomew of the British Navy, this small island is located just east of Santiago. Desolate Bartolome is one of the most visited and photographed islands in the Galápagos.
Bartolomé is an extinct volcano and has a variety of variably colored volcanic formations, including a
tuff cone known as Pinnacle Rock. This large black partially eroded cone was created when
lava reached the sea. Contact with seawater resulted in a
phreatic explosion. The exploded molten fragments fused together forming a welded tuff.
Bartolomé is inhabited by Galápagos Penguins, sea lions, nesting marine turtles, white-tipped reef sharks and a variety of birds.
Darwin (Culpepper)
Main articles: Darwin Island
This island is named after Charles Darwin. It has an area of 1.1
square kilometres (0.4
mi²) and a maximum altitude of 168
metres (551
ft). Here fur seals, frigates, marine iguanas, swallow-tailed gulls, sea lions, whales, marine turtles, dolphins, red footed and Nazca boobies can be seen.
Española (Hood)
Main articles: Española Island
Waved Albatross on Española
Its name was given in honor of
Spain. It also is known as Hood after an English nobleman. It has an area of 60 square kilometres (23 mi²) and a maximum altitude of 206 metres (676 ft).
Española is the oldest island at around 3.5 million years and the southernmost in the chain. The island's remote location has a large number of endemic
fauna. Secluded from the other islands, wildlife on Española adapted to the island's environment and natural resources. Marine
iguanas on Española are the only ones that change color during breeding season.
The
Waved Albatross is found on the island. The island's steep cliffs serve as the perfect runways for these large birds which take off for their ocean feeding grounds near the mainland of Ecuador and Peru.
Española has two visitor sites. Gardner Bay is a swimming and snorkeling site as well as offering a great beach. Punta Suarez has migrant, resident, and endemic wildlife including brightly colored Marine
Iguanas, Española Lava Lizards, Hood Mockingbirds,
Swallow-tailed Gulls,
Blue Footed Boobies and
Nazca Boobies, Galápagos Hawks, a selection of Finch, and the
Waved Albatross.
Fernandina (Narborough)
Main articles: Fernandina Island
The name was given in honor of King Ferdinand of Spain, who sponsored the voyage of Columbus. Fernandina has an area of 642 square kilometres (248 mi²) and a maximum altitude of 1,494 metres (4,902 ft). This is the youngest and westernmost island. In May 13, 2005, a new very eruptive process began on this island when an ash and water vapour cloud rose to a height of 7
kilometers (4.4
mi) and lava flows descended the slopes of the volcano on the way to the sea. Punta Espinosa is a narrow stretch of land where hundreds of Marine Iguanas gather largely on black lava rocks. The famous
Flightless Cormorant inhabits this island and also
Galápagos Penguins,
Pelicans and Sea Lions are abundant. Different types of
lava flows can be compared and the
Mangrove Forests can be observed.
Floreana (Charles or Santa María)
Main articles: Floreana Island
It was named after
Juan José Flores, the first
president of
Ecuador, during whose administration the government of Ecuador took possession of the archipelago. It is also called
Santa Maria after one of the
caravels of Columbus. It has an area of 173 square kilometres (66.8 mi²) and a maximum altitude of 640 metres (2,100 ft). It is one of the islands with the most interesting human history and one of the earliest to be inhabited. Pink
flamingos and green sea turtles nest (December to May) in this island. The "patapegada" or
Galápagos petrel is found here, a sea bird which spends most of its life away from land. At Post Office Bay, since the
18th century whalers kept a
wooden barrel that served as
post office so that mail could be picked up and delivered to their destination mainly
Europe and the
United States by ships on their way home. At the “Devil's Crown”, an underwater
volcanic cone,
coral formations are found.
Genovesa Island (Tower)
Main articles: Genovesa Island
The name is derived from
Genoa,
Italy where it is said
Columbus was born. It has an area of 14 square kilometres (5.4 mi²) and a maximum altitude of 76 metres (249 ft). This island is formed by the remaining edge of a large
crater that is submerged. Its nickname of “the bird island” is clearly justified. At Darwin Bay,
frigatebirds, swallow-tailed gulls, which are the only nocturnal of its species in the world can be seen. Red-footed
boobies, noddy
terns, lava gulls, tropic birds,
doves,
storm petrels and
Darwin finches are also in sight. Prince Philip's Steps is a bird-watching
plateau with Nazca and red-footed boobies. There is a large Palo Santo forest.
Isabela (Albemarle)
Main articles: Isabela Island (Ecuador)
This island was named in honor of Queen Isabela. With an area of 4,640 square kilometres (1,792 mi²), it is the largest island of the Galápagos. Its highest point is Wolf Volcano with an altitude of 1,707 metres (5,600 ft). The island's
seahorse shape is the product of the merging of six large volcanoes into a single landmass. On this island
Galápagos Penguins,
Flightless Cormorants,
marine iguanas, boobies,
pelicans and
Sally Lightfoot crabs abound. At the skirts and calderas of the volcanos of Isabela, Land Iguanas and Galápagos Tortoises can be observed, as well as
Darwin Finches, Galápagos Hawks, Galápagos Doves and very interesting lowland vegetation. The third-largest human settlement of the archipelago,
Puerto Villamil, is located at the south-eastern tip of the island.
Marchena (Bindloe)
Main articles: Marchena Island
Named after Fray Antonio Marchena. Has an area of 130 square kilometres (50 mi²) and a maximum altitude of 343 metres (1,125 ft).
Galápagos hawks and sea lions inhabit this island, and it is home to the Marchena Lava Lizard, an endemic species.
North Seymour
Main articles: North Seymour Island
Its name was given after an English nobleman called Lord Hugh Seymour. It has an area of 1.9 square kilometres (0.7 mi²) and a maximum altitude of 28 metres (92 ft). This island is home to a large population of blue-footed boobies and swallow-tailed gulls. It hosts one of the largest populations of frigate birds. It was formed from geological uplift.
Just north of the Baltra Airport is the small islet of North Seymour. North Seymour was created by seismic uplift rather than being of volcanic origin. The island has a flat profile with cliffs only a few feet from the shoreline, where swallowtail gulls and tropicbirds sit perched in ledges. A tiny forest of silver-grey Palo Santo trees stand just above the landing, usually without leaves, waiting for rain to bring them into bloom. The island is teaming with life! Visiting the island you may have to give way to a passing sea lion or marine iguana. Flocks of pelicans and swallow tailed gulls feed off shore and seasonally masked boobies can also be seen.
North Seymour is an extraordinary place for breeding birds and is home to one of the largest populations of nesting blue-footed boobies and magnificent frigate birds. Pairs of blue-footed boobies can be seen conducting their mating ritual as they offer each other gifts, whistle and honk, stretch their necks towards the sky, spread their wings, and dance---showing off their bright blue feet. Magnificent frigate birds perch in low bushes, near the boobies, while watching over their large chicks. The frigates are huge, dark acrobats with a 90-inch wingspan. Male frigates can puff-up their scarlet throat sacks to resemble a giant red balloon. Boobies and frigates have an interesting relationship. Boobies are excellent hunters and fish in flocks. The frigates by comparison are pirates, they dive bomb the boobies to force them to drop their prey. Then the acrobatic frigate then swoops down and pick up the food before it hits the water.
Pinta (Abingdon)
Main articles: Pinta Island
It got its name from one of the
caravels of Columbus. Has an area of 60 square kilometres (23 mi²) and a maximum altitude of 777 metres (2,549 ft). Swallow-tailed gulls, marine iguanas, sparrow hawks, fur seals can be seen here. Also home to the world's rarest living creature, the Pinta giant tortoise. An aged male named
Lonesome George is the only known survivor. Since there is little hope of finding another specimen, his species is doomed to extinction.
Pinzón (Duncan)
Main articles: Pinzón Island
Named after the Pinzón brothers, captains of the Pinta and Niña caravels. Has an area of 18 square kilometers (7 mi²) and a maximum altitude of 458 metres (1,503 ft). Sea lions,
Galápagos hawks, giant tortoises, marine iguanas, and dolphins can be seen here.
Rábida (Jervis)
Main articles: Rábida Island
It bears the name of the convent of Rábida where Columbus left his son during his voyage to the Americas. Has an area of 4.9 square kilometres (1.9 mi²) and a maximum altitude of 367 metres (1,204 ft). The high amount of iron contained in the lava at Rábida give it a distinctive red color. White-Cheeked Pintail Ducks live in a salt-water lagoon close to the beach, where brown pelicans and boobies have built their nests. Up until recently, flamingos were also found in the salt-water lagoon, but they have since moved on to other islands, likely due to a lack of food on Rábida. Nine species of Finches have been reported in this island.
San Cristóbal (Chatham)
Main articles: San Cristóbal Island
It bears the name of the Patron Saint of seafarers, "
St. Christopher". Its
English name was given after
William Pitt, 1st Earl of Chatham. It has an area of 558 square kilometres (215 mi²) and its highest point rises to 730 metres (2395 ft). This islands hosts
frigate birds,
sea lions, giant tortoises,
blue and red footed
boobies, tropicbirds, marine
iguanas,
dolphins, swallow-tailed
gulls. Its vegetation includes ''Calandrinia galapagos'', ''Lecocarpus darwinii'', and trees such as ''Lignum vitae''.The largest fresh water
lake in the archipelago, Laguna El Junco, is located in the
highlands of San Cristóbal. The capital of the province of Galápagos,
Puerto Baquerizo Moreno, lies at the southern tip of the island.
Santa Cruz (Indefatigable)
Main articles: Santa Cruz Island (Galápagos)
Given the name of the Holy Cross in Spanish, its English name derives from the British vessel HMS ''Indefatigable''. It has an area of 986 square kilometres (381 mi²) and a maximum altitude of 864 metres (2834 ft). Santa Cruz is the island that hosts the largest human population in the archipelago at the town of
Puerto Ayora. The
Charles Darwin Research Station and the headquarters of the Galápagos National Park Service are located here. The GNPS and CDRS operate a tortoise breeding center here, where young tortoises are hatched, reared, and prepared to be reintroduced to their natural
habitat. The Highlands of Santa Cruz offer an exuberant vegetation and are famous for the lava tunnels. Large tortoise populations are found here. Black Turtle Cove is a site surrounded by mangrove which sea turtles, rays and small sharks sometimes use as a mating area. Cerro Dragón, known for its flamingo lagoon, is also located here, and along the trail one may see land iguanas foraging.
Santa Fe (Barrington)
Main articles: Santa Fe Island
Named after a city in
Spain, has an area of 24 square kilometres (9 mi²) and a maximum altitude of 259 metres (850 ft). Santa Fe hosts a
forest of
Opuntia cactus, which are the largest of the archipelago, and Palo Santo. Weathered
cliffs provide a haven for swallow-tailed gulls, red-billed tropic birds,
shear-waters petrels. Santa Fe species of land iguanas are often seen, as well as
lava lizards.
Santiago (San Salvador, James)
Main articles: Santiago Island (Galápagos)
Its name is equivalent to Saint James in English; it is also known as San Salvador, after the first island discovered by Columbus in the Caribbean Sea. This island has an area of 585 square kilometers (226 mi²) and a maximum altitude of 907 metres (2976 ft). Marine iguanas, sea lions, fur seals, land and sea turtles,
flamingos, dolphins and sharks are found here.
Pigs and
goats, which were introduced by humans to the islands and have caused great harm to the endemic species, have been eradicated (pigs in 2002; goat eradication is nearing finalization).
Darwin Finches and Galápagos Hawks are usually seen as well as a colony of Fur Seals. At Sullivan Bay a recent (around 100 years ago)
pahoehoe lava flow can be observed.
South Plaza
Main articles: South Plaza Island
It is named in honor of a former president of Ecuador, General
Leonidas Plaza. It has an area of 0.13 square kilometers (0.05 mi²) and a maximum altitude of 23 metres (75 ft). The flora of South Plaza includes Opuntia cactua and Sesuvium plants, which forms a reddish carpet on top of the lava formations. Iguanas (land and marine and some hybrids of both species) are abundant and there are a large number of birds that can be observed from the cliffs at the southern part of the island, including tropic birds and swallow-tailed gulls.
Wolf (Wenman)
Main articles: Wolf Island
This island was named after the German geologist
Theodor Wolf. It has an area of 1.3 square kilometres (0.5 mi²)and a maximum altitude of 253 metres (830 ft). Here
fur seals,
frigatebirds,
masked and
red-footed boobies,
marine iguanas,
sharks,
whales,
dolphins and
swallow-tailed gulls can be seen. The most famous resident is the
vampire finch which feeds on the blood of the
boobies and is only found on this island.
Minor islands
Main articles: Daphne Major
A small island directly north of Santa Cruz and directly west of Baltra, this very inaccessible island appears, though unnamed, on Ambrose Cowley's
1684 chart. It is important as the location of multi-decade finch population studies by
Peter and Rosemary Grant.
History
European discovery of the Galápagos Islands occurred when Dominican
Fray Tomás de Berlanga, the fourth Bishop of
Panama, sailed to
Peru to settle a dispute between
Francisco Pizarro and his lieutenants. De Berlanga's vessel drifted off course when the winds diminished, and his party reached the islands on
March 10,
1535. According to a 1956 study by
Thor Heyerdahl and Arne Skjølsvold, remains of potsherds and other artifacts from several sites on the islands suggest visitation by South American peoples prior to the arrival of the Spanish.
The islands first appeared on maps in about 1570 in those drawn by
Abraham Ortelius and
Mercator. The islands were called "Insulae de los Galopegos" (Islands of the Tortoises).
The first English captain to visit the Galápagos Islands was
Richard Hawkins, in 1593. Until the early 19th century, the archipelago was often used as a hideout by mostly English pirates who pilfered Spanish
galleons carrying gold and silver from South America to Spain.
Alexander Selkirk, whose adventures in
Juan Fernández Islands inspired
Daniel Defoe to write ''Robinson Crusoe'', visited the Galápagos in 1708 after he was picked up from Juan Fernández by the privateer Woodes Rogers. Rogers was refitting his ships in the islands after sacking
Guayaquil.
The first scientific mission to the Galápagos arrived in 1790 under the leadership of
Alessandro Malaspina, a Sicilian captain whose expedition was sponsored by the King of Spain. However, the records of the expedition were lost.
In 1793, James Colnett made a description of the flora and fauna of Galápagos and suggested that the islands could be used as base for the
whalers operating in the Pacific Ocean. He also drew the first accurate navigation charts of the islands. Whalers killed and captured thousands of the Galápagos tortoises to extract their fat. The tortoises could also be kept on board ship as a means of providing of fresh protein as these animals could survive for several months on board without any food or water. The hunting of the tortoises was responsible for greatly diminishing, and in some cases eliminating, certain species. Along with whalers came the fur-seal hunters who brought the population of this animal close to extinction.
Ecuador annexed the Galápagos Islands on
February 12,
1832, naming it Archipelago of Ecuador. This was a new name that added to several names that had been, and are still, used to refer to the archipelago. The first governor of Galápagos, General José de Villamil, brought a group of convicts to populate the island of Floreana and in October 1832 some artisans and farmers joined.
The voyage of the ''Beagle'' brought the survey ship
HMS ''Beagle'' under captain
Robert FitzRoy to the Galápagos on
September 15,
1835 to survey approaches to harbors. The captain and others on board including his companion the young naturalist
Charles Darwin made a scientific study of geology and biology on four of the thirteen islands before they left on
October 20 to continue on their round-the-world expedition. Darwin noticed that
mockingbirds differed between islands, and the governor of the prison colony on ''Charles Island'' told him that tortoises differed from island to island. Towards the end of the voyage Darwin speculated that these facts might "undermine the stability of Species".
[1] When specimens of birds were analysed on his return to
England it was found that many apparently different kinds of birds were species of
finches which were also unique to islands. These facts were crucial in Darwin's development of his theory of
natural selection explaining
evolution, which was presented in ''
The Origin of Species''.
José Valdizán and Manuel Julián Cobos tried a new colonization, beginning the exploitation of a type of lichen found in the islands (Roccella portentosa) used as a coloring agent. After the assassination of Valdizán by some of his workers, Cobos brought from the continent a group of more than a hundred workers to San Cristóbal island and tried his luck at planting sugar cane. He ruled in his plantation with an iron hand which lead to his assassination in 1904. Since 1897 Antonio Gil began another plantation in Isabela island.
Over the course of a whole year, from September 1904, an expedition of the Academy of Sciences of California, led by Rollo Beck, stayed in the Galápagos collecting scientific material on
geology,
entomology,
ornithology,
botany,
zoology and
herpetology. Another expedition from that Academy was done in 1932 (Templeton Crocker Expedition) to collect
insects,
fish,
shells,
fossils, birds and plants.
During
WWII Ecuador authorized the United States to establish a naval base in Baltra island and radar stations in other strategic locations.
In 1946 a penal colony was established in Isabela Island, but was suspended in 1959.
Political geography
Main articles: Galápagos Province
'Galápagos' is a
province in
Ecuador that is coincident with the
Galápagos Islands. The capital is
Puerto Baquerizo Moreno. The province is divided in 3
cantons.
Canton (Capital)
#
Isabela (
Puerto Villamil)
#
San Cristóbal (
Puerto Baquerizo Moreno)
#
Santa Cruz (
Puerto Ayora)
This
province is in the
UTC-6
time zone. The
continental part of
Ecuador is in the
UTC-5 time zone.
Demographics
It is one of the few places in the world without an indigenous population. The largest ethnic group is comprised of Ecuatorian
Mestizos, the mixed descendants of Spanish colonists and indigenous Native Americans, arrived mainly in the last century from the
continental part of
Ecuador.
In
1959, approximately 1,000 to 2,000 people called the islands their home. In 1972 a census was done in the archipelago and a population of 3,488 was recorded. By the 1980s, this number had risen to more than 15,000 people, and 2006 estimates place the population around 30,000 people.
Five of the islands are inhabited: Baltra, Floreana, Isabela, San Cristobal and Santa Cruz.
Conservation
Sea lions in the Galápagos are somewhat tame, but very curious.
Though the first protective legislation for the Galápagos was enacted in 1934 and supplemented in 1936, it was not until the late 1950s that positive action was taken to control what was happening to the native flora and fauna. In 1955, the International Union for the Conservation of Nature organized a fact-finding mission to the Galápagos. Two years later, in 1957,
UNESCO in cooperation with the government of Ecuador sent another expedition to study the conservation situation and choose a site for a research station.
In
1959, the centenary year of
Charles Darwin's publication of ''
The Origin of Species'', the Ecuadorian government declared 97.5% of the archipelago's land area a
national park, excepting areas already colonised. The
Charles Darwin Foundation was founded the same year, with its international headquarters in
Brussels. Its primary objectives are to ensure the conservation of unique Galápagos ecosystems and promote the scientific studies necessary to fulfill its conservation functions. Conservation work began with the establishment of the
Charles Darwin Research Station on Santa Cruz Island in 1964. During the early years, conservation programs, such as eradication of introduced species and protection of native species, were carried out by station personnel. Currently, most resident scientists pursue conservation goals; most visiting scientists' work is oriented towards pure research.
In 1986 the surrounding 70,000 square kilometres (43,496 sq mi.) of ocean was declared a
marine reserve, second only in size to Australia's Great Barrier Reef. In 1990 the archipelago became a whale sanctuary. In 1978
UNESCO recognised the islands as a
World Heritage Site, and in 1985 a
Biosphere Reserve. This was later extended in December 2001 to include the marine reserve.
Noteworthy species include:
★
Galápagos land iguanas, ''
Conolophus'' spp.
★
Marine iguana, ''Amblyrhynchus cristatus'', the only iguana feeding in the sea
★
Galápagos tortoise (Galápagos Giant
tortoise), ''Geochelone elephantopus'', known as Galápago in
Spanish, it gave the name to the islands
★
Galápagos Green Turtle, thought to be a subspecies of the Pacific Green Turtle, ''Chelonia mydas agassisi''
★ ''
trepang''
sea cucumbers, the cause of environmental battles with fishermen over
quotas of this expensive
Asian delicacy.
★
Flightless Cormorant, ''Phalacrocorax harrisi''
★
Great Frigatebird and
Magnificent Frigatebird
★
Blue-footed Booby, ''Sula nebouxii'', popular among visitors for their large blue feet which they show off in courtship
★
Galápagos Penguin, ''Spheniscus mendiculus'', the only living tropical
penguin
★
Waved Albatross, ''Phoebastria irrorata'', the only living tropical
albatross
★
Galápagos Hawk, ''Buteo galapagoensis'', the islands' main
scavenger and "environmental police"
★ 4
endemic species of
mockingbirds, the first species Darwin noticed to vary from island to island
★ 13 endemic species of
buntings, popularly called
Darwin's finches. Among them is the
Sharp-beaked Ground-finch ''Geospiza difficilis septentrionalis'' which is sometimes called the "Vampire Finch" for its blood-sucking habits, and the tool-using
Woodpecker Finch, ''Camarhynchus pallidus''
★ Galápagos
Sea lions, ''Zalophus californianus'', closely related to the California Sea Lion, but smaller
Environmental threats
Introduced
plants and
animals, such as feral goats, cats, and cattle, brought accidentally or willingly to the islands by humans, represent the main threat to Galápagos. Quick to reproduce, these alien species decimate the habitats of native species. The native animals, lacking natural predators on the islands, are defenseless to introduced species and fall prey.
Some of the most harmful introduced plants are the Guayaba or
Guava ''Psidium guajava'',
avocado ''Persea americana'',
cascarilla ''Cinchona pubescens'',
balsa ''Ochroma pyramidale'',
blackberry ''Rubus glaucus'', various
citrus (
orange,
grapefruit,
lemon),
floripondio ''Datura arborea'',
higuerilla ''Ricinus communis'' and the
elephant grass ''Pennisetum purpureum''. These plants have invaded large areas and eliminated endemic species in the humid zones of San Cristobal, Floreana, Isabela and Santa Cruz. Also, these harmful plants are just a few of introduced species on the Galapagos Islands. There are over 700 introduced plant species today. There are only 500 native and endemic species. This difference is creating a major problem for the islands and the natural species that inhabit them.
Many species were introduced to the Galápagos by
pirates.
Thor Heyerdahl quotes documents that mention that the Viceroy of
Peru, knowing that British pirates ate the goats that they themselves had released in the islands, ordered dogs to be freed there to eliminate the goats. Also, when colonization of Floreana by José de Villamil failed, he ordered that the goats, donkeys, cows, and other animals from the farms in Floreana be transferred to other islands for the purpose of later colonization.
Non-native goats, pigs, dogs, rats, cats, mice, sheep, horses, donkeys, cows, poultry, ants, cockroaches, and some parasites inhabit the islands today. Dogs and cats attack the tame birds and destroy nests of birds, land tortoises, and marine turtles. They sometimes kill small Galápagos tortoises and iguanas. Pigs are even more harmful, covering larger areas and destroying the nests of tortoises, turtles and iguanas. Pigs also knock down vegetation in their search for roots and insects. This problem abounds in Cerro Azul volcano and Isabela, and in Santiago pigs may be the cause of the disappearance of the land iguanas that were so abundant when Darwin visited. The black rat ''
Rattus rattus'' attacks small Galápagos tortoises when they leave the nest, so that in Pinzón they stopped the reproduction for a period of more than 50 years; only adults were found on that island. Also, where the black rat is found, the endemic rat has disappeared. Cows and donkeys eat all the available vegetation and compete with native species for the scarce water. In 1959, fishermen introduced one male and two female goats to Pinta island; by 1973 the National Park service estimated the population of goats to be over 30,000 individuals. Goats were also introduced to Marchena in 1967 and to Rabida in 1971. However a recent goat eradication program has cleared most of the goat population from Isabela.
The fast growing poultry industry on the inhabited islands has been cause for concern from local conservationists, who fear that domestic birds could introduce disease into the endemic and wild bird populations.
The Galápagos marine sanctuary is under threat from a host of illegal fishing activities, in addition to other problems of development. The most pressing threat to the Marine Reserve comes from local, mainland and foreign fishing targeting marine life illegally within the Reserve, such as sharks (hammerheads and other species) for their fins, and the harvest of sea cucumbers out of season. Development threatens both land and sea species. The growth of both the tourism industry and local populations fuelled by high birth rates and illegal immigration threaten the wildlife of the Archipelago. The recent grounding of the oil tanker ''Jessica'' and the subsequent oil spill brought this threat to world attention.
Currently, the rapidly growing problems including tourism and a human population explosion are further destroying habitats.
In
2007,
UNESCO put the Galápagos Islands on their World Heritage in Danger List.
[2]
Gallery
In fiction
★ In the movie '' (2003), one of the main locations is the Galápagos Islands, where naturalist Stephen Maturin discovers new animal species.
★
Kurt Vonnegut's ''
Galápagos'' is an exploration of evolution and the absurdity of the human species, set in Guayaquil and the islands.
★ In the cartoon ''
The Mysterious Cities of Gold'', the characters first land on the Galápagos Islands before reaching the Americas' mainland.
★
Herman Melville's ''
The Encantadas, or Enchanted Isles'' is a collection of ten short stories based on his own experiences on the South Seas. Melville knew the Islands firsthand, though he also relied on the stories of other sailors who had visited the Galápagos, as well as authorities such as
David Porter's ''Journal of a Cruise Made to the Pacific Ocean'' (1822).
★ In the
Australian television series
SeaChange, Diver Dan leaves Pearl Bay for the Galápagos Islands.
See also
★
Galápagos Province
★
Albatross Foundation USA
References
★
Heyerdahl, Thor & Skjolsvold, Arne. (1956). ''Archaeological Evidence of Pre-Spanish Visits to the Galápagos Islands'', Memoirs 12,
Society for American Archaeology.
★ Müller, Bodo; & Stolt, Matthias. (2003). ''Galápagos Die verwunschenen Inseln''. (BLV). ISBN 3861089092
★ Quammen, David. (1996). ''The Song of the Dodo''. Touchstone,
New York.
★
Angermeyer, Johanna. (2003). ''My Father's Island: A Galapagos Quest''. ISBN 0954485106
1. Keynes, Richard ed. 2000. ''Charles Darwin's zoology notes & specimen lists from H.M.S. Beagle.'' Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. June – August 1836
2. World Heritage in Danger List
External links
★
Galápagos Islands xeric scrub (World Wildlife Fund)
★
Galápagos geology - the page also includes much general information on the Galápagos Islands
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