Galapagos: The Ultimate Preservation Project

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By Les Conklin

I walked up to the frigate bird sitting on the nest. It didn’t move.

I almost stepped on a sea lion. It didn’t move. 

The frigate bird and the sea lion were not afraid of me. I was in the Galapagos Islands, the site of the ultimate preservation project.

Located 570 miles off the coast of South America, this rugged cluster of volcanic islands, is one of the pristine national parks in the world. The species of animals that evolved in the Galapagos before man’s arrival never learned to him. Despite incursions by Spanish sailors, pirates, whaling ship crews, aborted and successful settlements, and predation by domesticated animals gone wild, many of the "naïve" Galapagos species have survived to this day. What a living treasure!

Charles Darwin visited the islands on 1835. He was astonished by the number of unique species and diversity between plant and animal populations from island to island. His study of Galapagos finches provided the basis for his masterpiece on evolution, The Origin of the Species.

Darwin visited the Galapagos on the "The Beagle." My wife, Judy, and I enjoyed more comfortable accommodations on the "Galapagos Explorer II," a cruise ship with 52 passenger cabins each equipped with television, VCR – all the comforts of home. The food and service was excellent, but what made the cruise special was that the crew lived in the Galapagos and they really cared about preserving the place.

If you have seen documentaries about the Galapagos on TV, you may have the impression that all the special birds and animals are in one location. They are not. We spent 4 days with naturalist guides visiting various islands and locations to see different species, enjoy swimming and snorkeling, and take in see some incredible scenery.

The highlights? There were many. Putting my camera within 5 inches of a 3 foot long marine iguana’s face and taking a "cannot miss" picture. Seeing a species of penguins near the equator. Visiting fur seals that live near black coastal grottos, protected from the surf and sharks. Watching sea lions lounging on the beaches, doing their thing and caring less about us. Watching a male frigate bird, puff out his red chest and extend his six foot wingspan to attract a female flying overhead (it didn’t work). Learning about the tortoise breeding program at the Charles Darwin Research Center and hiking to see these giants in the wild. Spotting our first blue footed booby!

The history of man’s detrimental effects upon these and other native species extends back to the 1600s when buccaneers introduced the first goats and killed tortoises for food. An untold number of tortoises were taken by crews, stacked alive like cordwood in the holds of ships, and used for fresh meat months later.

Once settlers arrived they brought domestic animals. Some animals went wild and started feral populations. Today, dogs, cats, pigs, goats, rats, fire ants, and introduced plants are serious threats to indigenous flora and fauna. Fishing and population growth are additional threats. What are the odds that this fragile ecosystem and unique life survive?

In 1959, the Ecuadorian government declared the Galapagos Islands a protected area and a national park. Simultaneously, the Charles Darwin Foundation was founded. In 1978, UNESCO declared the islands a National Heritage Site.

The Galapagos National Park occupies 97 percent of the islands. The main task of the National Park Service is to protect the islands’ ecosystems "so that evolutionary and ecological processes take place at a natural pace with a minimum influence of man." That’s a BIG order! The Galapagos archipelago is spread over 30,000 square miles, consisting of 13 major islands, six small ones and 42 islets that are barely more than large rocks.

The park has been divided into zones and there are "maximum protection" zones where man is not allowed. Period! Visitors are only allowed in specific, limited areas, and a certified guide must accompany them. Visitors must obey many stringent park rules such as staying on well-marked trails, cleaning seeds of shoes and clothing before landing on different islands, and not disturbing the native animals, and many more.

New people cannot move to the Galapagos Islands to live. Commercial fishing (by non-Galapagos residents) and passage of oil tankers is banned within 45 miles of the islands. Campaigns to eradicate non-native plants and animals are ongoing. We were not taken to one of the islands because the park service was shooting the feral goats that feed on grasses the giant tortoises need to survive. And, just as the indigenous animals do not protect themselves from man, they have no fear of cats, dogs and rats.

As we left the Galapagos, I could not help but think, "God bless the people of Equator and the Galapagos." They have undertaken the ultimate preservation project. A project that involves not only preserving land, flora and fauna, but in restoring an ecosystem to the way it was before man pulled ashore. Believe me, you will not find any off-road vehicles in the Galapagos.

Note. Soon the Park Service will institute a new program that employs helicopters and nets to round up the wild goats. The program was developed in Australia and has been successful there. The captured goats will be given to owners of small farms on mainland Equador.