Revisiting the Galápagos Islands today is HEART BREAKING.
Invasive species have overtaken the cliffs of San Cristóbal Island in the Galapagos and threaten to eradicate native species. That this tragedy is unfolding in the place that first opened our eyes to the fundamental understanding of how species evolve is especially tragic.
Losing Native Species in the Galápagos.
San Cristóbal is the oldest and fourth largest of the Galápagos Islands. It has one of the only permanent sources of fresh water in the archipelago and is home to uniquely adapted species for its unforgiving island conditions.
San Cristóbal is an oasis where life converges – red-footed boobies (Sula sula), blue-footed boobies (Sula nebouxii), and Nazca boobies (Sula granti) share a nesting ground, where American flamingo (Phoenicopterus ruber) and scores of other shore birds come to breed.
San Cristóbal was the first island Charles Darwin visited on his famous Beagle voyage. Today, it is barely recognizable.
Sadly, San Cristóbal Island has now become the story of isolation shattered and biodiversity threatened. Over time, the remoteness that created ideal conditions to witness evolution on a human scale has been terribly compromised by the encroachment of agriculture, development, and tourism, and with them, non-native species.
COLORS OF THE GALAPAGOS
LIZARD
FINCH
HAWK
FLYCATCHER
BOOBY
INCA
Breeding Grounds invaded, trampled, ambushed.
Introduced species crowd and trample native species. Today, the spread of guayaba, blackberry bushes, feral goats, horses, cattle, pigs, cats, rats, and dogs has decimated many of the islands native and endemic species. If left unchecked, the loss of biodiversity will be irreversible.
Living in the shadows of the more famous Galápagos finches, tortoises, and sea lions, the Galápagos petrels are losing their struggle for survival in relative obscurity. Already, their numbers have declined by 80 percent. As a result, in 1994 they joined the growing list of species designated as Critically Endangered on the IUCN Red List.
Soon, they could be added to the growing list of extinctions, marking even this iconic location as another place that is not immune to loss of biodiversity. They are not alone, San Cristóbal has already lost its eponymous Flycatcher (Pyrocephalus dubius) and currently hosts 13 other species of endangered plants, mammals, and birds.
The petrels spend most of their time at sea foraging for fish and crustaceans. However, during the breeding season, they return to their the humid highlands of San Cristóbal looking for nesting sites.
They now arrive to a landscape increasingly inhospitable. And increasingly unrecognizable, with invasive blackberry bushes obscuring their nesting burrows and cavities. In addition, they confront non-native predators waiting to prey on them – black and brown rats devour their eggs; cats and dogs ambush the adults. Further compounding the problem is nest destruction by goats, donkeys, cattle, and horses.
What We Are Doing To Help
NEW BEGINNINGS
BIODIVERSITY HIGHLIGHTS
THE PROJECT
THE SCIENCE
MEASURING OUR RESULTS
NEW BEGINNINGS
Palo Santo (Scalecia pedunculata)
Saving Nature is hoping to intervene to prevent the loss of Galápagos petrel. To do so, we are helping to implement the first private conservation effort on the Galápagos Islands, helping to acquire and restore degraded land adjacent to Galápagos National Park. Our vision is to expand the current protections for endemic and threatened species to prevent extinctions. Our goal is to prevent the extinction of the Galápagos Petrel by connecting, protecting, and restoring critical breeding habitat on San Cristobal Island.
Without this intervention, invasive plants will continue to overtake petrel nesting sites, and they will continue to fall prey to invasive species prey during the breeding season. In addition, our project would help protect the only permanent rivers on the island. As funding permits, Saving Nature and our partners could begin to extend conservation well beyond this parcel in future years.
BIODIVERSITY HIGHLIGHTS
Blue-footed booby (Sula nebouxii)
The Galápagos Islands host an array of endemic species that are found only here. With so many endemic species in the region, protecting them here is almost synonymous with preventing their global extinction. These species are one of the important beneficiaries of our work, as are the other threatened species in the region.
112 Birds Species. Already, the island has lost the San Cristóbal Flycatcher (Pyrocephalus dubius), which was least seen in 1987 and presumed extinct. In addition to the Critically Endangered Galápagos Petrel, there are three Endangered bird species, the endemic San Cristóbal mockingbird (Mimus melanotis), American flamingo (Phoenicopterus ruber), and the endemic Galápagos martin (Progne modesta)
There are few Mammal Species on San Cristóbal Island. Among them are two Endangered mammals – the Galápagos fur seals (Arctocephalus galapagoensis) and the Galápagos sea lion (Zalophus wollebaeki), the endemic Galapagos Rice Rat (Aegialomys galapagoensis). In addition, there are two species of bats – the endemic Galápagos red bat (Lasiurus blossevillii) and the hoary bat (Aeorestes cinereus).
43 Plants Species found here range from Vulnerable to Critically Endangered. The Critically Endangered species include elephant ear (Alocasia sanderiana), common beet (Beta vulgaris), Galápagos rock-purslane (Calandrinia galapagosa), tapertip flat sedge (Cyperus grandifolius), Lecocarpus leptolobus, Scalesia gordilloi, and Spermacoce perpusilla
THE PROJECT
Working with our local partners, Fundacion Jatun Sacha, an Ecuador-based non-profit we are extending conservation up hundreds of meters of elevation (where such conservation does not currently exist on the island).
In the short-term we launched a pilot program to establish a beachhead for our partner to mobilize and train local volunteers to eradicate invasive species that are threatening the survival of the last remaining Galápagos petrels on San Cristóbal Island. Longer term, we plan to acquire and restore larger parcels adjacent to the Galápagos National Park to amplify conservation efforts.
While we are focused on the Galápagos petrel to drive our land purchase and restoration decisions, the beneficiaries of our project extend well beyond the Galápagos petrel. Our habitat restoration plans for the Galápagos petrel include planting of a number of endemic species, among which are Palo Santo (Scalecia pedunculata), Milkweed (Bursera graveolens ssp), Darwin’s Cotton (Gossypium darwinii), Black Sapote (Diospyros ebenaster), malacophylla, and Piscidia carthagenensis Jacq.
The return of endemic flora will then invite endemic fauna to repopulate and rebound, including Dark-rumped Petrels (Pterodroma phaeopygia) listed Critically Endagnere (CR) on the IUCN Red List, San Cristóbal Mockingbird (Mimus melanotis), Large Tree-finch (Camarhynchus psittacula), Flycatcher of the Galápagos (Myiarchus magnirostris), Small Tree-finch (Camarhynchus parvulus), and San Cristóbal Lava Lizard (Microlophus bivittatus), among other endemic species of fauna.
Annual Objectives
Our multi-year project in the Galápagos is expected to span the next 25 years, and has a three basic phases. As a first step, we are evaluating the proof of concept on a small plot of land, progressing through gradual scale-up, and ultimately moving to ongoing protected area management. Details of each phase are described below:
Phase I involves acquiring a 10 hectare plot on San Cristóbal Island. This pilot plot will be used to evaluate proof of concept that our long-range vision is achievable. Securing full, instrumental, and legal control over the 10 ha chosen for this purchase can help inform conservation science and demonstrate that purchasing more territory in this manner can make a significant difference on this island—and perhaps, other islands as well.
The plot was carefully chosen to meet a number of criteria we believe are important for success. 1) It is located at a higher elevation, in the Miconia zone. The Miconia (another threatened species) should attract other native species; 2) The plot is near water sources that will be essential to efficiently carrying out restoration activities. These water sources will also be used as we expand efforts in later project phases; 3) It is near the borders of other farms which could one day be purchased and connected to other protected areas, where there are an additional 10 known petrel nests.
Phase 2 (2020-2025) involves scaling up our efforts to connect, protect, and restore habitats for the Galápagos Petrel. In this phase, we hope to create our first of several biological corridors establish connectivity the Galápagos National Park. This connection will facilitate recovery of a 200 hectare parcel of land and effectively expand the federally protected area. This phase involves execution of a detailed plan to restore native trees and eradicate invasive species to address the two main threats to the Galápagos petrel – loss of habitat and predation. Currently, the downward spiral involves the spread of invasive blackberry bushes, which in turn attract non-native rats, cats, and dogs that are even more destructive to native birds.
Phase 3 (2020 – 2043) overlaps with Phase 2. It involves additional strategic land purchases, research, and ongoing management of the privately protected areas to fortify the gains. With the acquired land in the full control of our Ecuadorian partners, they can begin the long term conservation work. The plan’s conservation interventions include continuing invasive species eradication, augmentation of nesting sites, and ground surveys to monitor threats and progress. In addition, this phase will also on community engagement, an absolutely vital part of any successful conservation project.
THE SCIENCE
MEASURING OUR RESULTS
Having completed the acquisition of the 10 hectare plot, he first phase of the project is underway. The invasive species eradication work is ongoing to clear an protect nesting sites for the Galápagos petrel. This is very labor-intensive work that requires monitoring and intervention to maintain the gains.
Fund-raising is the critical next priority to move forward with the planned 200 hectare corridor.
The Bottom Line
Percent of
Petrels Lost
Petrels Lost
Number of
Species
Species
Corridor
Size
Size
Forest
Connection
Connection
Conservation
Multiplier
Multiplier
Carbon Dioxide
Absorbed
Absorbed
Photo Credits:
Scalesia pedunculata: Haplochromis [CC BY-SA 3.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0)]