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CDF News: Charles Darwin Foundation among Leading Marine Scientists to Signal Importance of Galapagos to Study of Climate Change
07 December 2009
Puerto Ayora, December 04, 2009
In a landmark article published today by respected science journal, Global Change Biology, co-author Stuart Banks, Senior Marine Scientist with the Charles Darwin Foundation, headquartered in Galapagos, teams with the world´s leading marine researchers in calling for increased focus on the forces of climate change.
Banks asserts, “Galapagos is well-known for being unique, but what is less apparent is how tenuous the archipelago’s unique status really is.” He reveals that of the 43 threatened Galapagos marine species, one in five may already be extinct.
The article provides an in-depth analysis of major studies charting changes in Galapagos biodiversity and marine ecosystems over the past 30 years. Former CDF Marine Sciences Director and ongoing CDF collaborator Graham Edgar of the University of Tasmania led the development of the paper bringing together such luminaries as Sylvia Earle of National Geographic Society, and Peter Glynn of University of Miami, Les Kaufmann of Boston University, and CDF´s Stuart Banks.
In a sobering snapshot, Banks explains, “The unpredictable mix of El Niño, increased human presence, and global climate change is a recipe for the breakdown of natural ecological functions with serious impact on the recovery potential of species and habitats.”
The article cites the Galapagos Marine Reserve as being “a near ideal environment for quantifying effects of oceanographic anomalies and fisheries on marine biodiversity, and for modeling future impacts of climate change,” areas of study currently being addressed by CDF’s Galapagos Climate Change Initiative. This major new body of investigation takes a much-needed step in understanding the ties between climate, biodiversity, and the human impact, and will combine new and historical data to increase understanding of these relationships.
Sylvia Earle, a leading spokesperson on the urgent need to conserve the world’s oceanic resources, emphasizes, “Nowhere on Earth are the combined impacts of climate change and overfishing more clearly defined than in the Galapagos Islands where unique assemblages of wildlife live on the sharp edge of change. Decades of data link recent fishing pressures to disruption of the islands’ fine-tuned systems, making them more vulnerable to natural — and anthropogenic — changes in climate.”
Boston University’s Les Kaufmann observes, “The Galapagos, the Rosetta Stone of evolution, is now teaching us the far-reaching impacts of climate change on ocean ecosystems. Though too late to stop, we now know that the impacts of climate change can be softened by cutting back on fishing. The wildlife we eat today was part of the inner workings of an ecosystem which was under stress from global climate change and when these ecosystems are damaged, species and livelihoods can vanish in a heartbeat.”
The research, Banks continues, also aims to “enhance protection of species like algae and corals that don’t always receive the attention they deserve. Ultimately, both support the local human population. Marine algae and corals provide rich nursery habitat for both fished species and great biodiversity which draws in nature-based tourism.”
The Galapagos National Park’s (GNP) Head of Marine Research, Eduardo Espinoza, offers, “Increased scientific knowledge and understanding of the oceanographic effects of climate change in the Galapagos Marine Reserve (GMR) is pivotal to the development of management strategies to avoid the loss of threatened marine ecosystems. Understanding the different pressures on and resilience of the marine ecosystem helps us to develop management tools and strategies to avoid ecological damage, and also to develop sustainable activities in the GMR.”
Banks adds, “Support of the GNP in minimizing the human footprint and searching for realistic and compatible ways to responsibly interact with nature is a key area of marine research and conservation in Galapagos, and indeed, the world´s oceans.”
For more information:
Alex Ontaneda — alex.ontaneda@fcdarwin.org.ec
www.darwinfoundation.org
