About Galapagos

To learn about the human aspects of Galapagos, click on the image above for a multimedia interactive website, courtesy of the UNC-Chapel Hill School of Journalism and Mass Communication.

Q. Where are the Galapagos Islands?
A. The Galapagos Islands lie six hundred miles off the coast of Ecuador and belong to Ecuador. There are thirteen major islands, six smaller islands, and hundreds of tiny islets.

Q. What are the size, population, and climate of the Galapagos Islands?
A. 28,000 people live there on four islands. The climate is anywhere from the 70s (°F) in the cool season (June through December) and warm in the 80s in the Galapagos winter (January through April). The land area is 5,000 square miles, slightly smaller than the Hawaiian archipelago (6,423 square miles).

Q. When were the Galapagos Islands discovered and colonized?
A. The islands were discovered in 1535 by Bishop Tomas de Berlanga of Panama. They were annexed by Ecuador in 1832. The islands were colonized throughout the 1800s, and primarily used as a penal colony by Ecuador. It wasn’t until the mid-1900s that people started moving to Galapagos to live, primarily traveling from Europe and Scandinavia. The population grew at modest levels, but dramatically increased in the 1990s with the development of large-scale tourism. With a population of about 12,000 in 1990, today’s population stands at 28,000.

Q. How has human development affected the Galapagos?
A. The twin impacts of a growing resident population and of increasing tourism to the islands have had negative consequences for Galapagos flora and fauna.

The devastating introduction of plants, insects, and animals that escape and
become established is an inevitable result of human interaction. Native plants and animals which have evolved in isolation of these predators have little defense and are consequently overwhelmed. Today, more than 526 invertebrates, 750 plants, and 29 species of vertebrates, including six species of birds, have been introduced in Galapagos.

External pressures also bring with them the over-harvesting of marine and
terrestrial resources. Illegal poaching of tortoises, sharks, and sea cucumbers, along with harvesting of fragile mangrove forests, native hardwoods, and beachfronts threaten the biological integrity of all of Galapagos’ ecosystems.

A growing human population means more pressure on water, land, and other
infrastructure needs which are scarce in Galapagos. And there are also rising
potential threats to biodiversity from phenomena that have already caused
significant damage in other areas, such as avian malaria, West Nile fever, and bird flu (avian influenza).

Q. How many people travel to the Galapagos each year?
A. More than 100,000.

Q. Who is Lonesome George?
A. When Lonesome George was discovered in 1971, no tortoise had been recorded on the island of Pinta since 1906, and the island’s tortoises were believed to be extinct. No one is certain how old he is, but the best guesses place him at 80 years old. George has become the star attraction at the Charles Darwin Research Station (CDRS) on Santa Cruz and the embodiment of global efforts to preserve the world’s wild places.

Q. Why is conserving the Galapagos so important?
A. The scientific value of Galapagos cannot be overstated. 95% of its pre-human biodiversity remains intact, and there is no other island ecosystem that can come close to that significant achievement. It has often been called “a living laboratory of evolution” and it is a treasure for a host of scientific inquiries.

It has significant economic value to Ecuador as a tourism destination point
(approximately $350MM per annum).

It is important because it is one of the world’s last wild places. Galapagos represents the last best hope for demonstrating that a balance can be struck between human presence and wild places, and it may provide an opportunity to develop a model for conservation of biodiversity that works.

Q. What does Galapagos Conservancy do?
A. Galapagos Conservancy is the only organization in the US which focuses on Galapagos—all day and every day. We are the largest private funder of Galapagos conservation, and we have more than 11,000 individuals and institutions who care about Galapagos and understand the importance of protecting this one-of-akind ecosystem.

Q. What are some of the key dates and facts associated with Galapagos conservation?
A. Important dates and facts include:

1934: Terrestrial area designated a Wildlife Sanctuary
1968: 97% of land area designated as National Park and Marine Reserve legally established
1974: Terrestrial area designated a World Heritage Site
1984: Terrestrial area designated Man and the Biosphere Reserve
1990: International Whale Sanctuary established
1998: Marine Reserve extended to 50,000 square miles. This means that
Galapagos has the highest percentage of fully protected (non-exploitable) marine area in the world. 20% of the reserve has been designated as no-take zones.

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