Extinction Alert!
Emergency Action is Needed to save the Mangrove Finch

It is arguable that no animal has had a more profound impact on the way we see the world than the finches of Galapagos.

Darwin's finches are the primary example of evolution through natural selection at work. They are of enormous scientific importance and are an integral part of how we understand our history and define ourselves as human. Yet, to look upon the rarest of the Galapagos finches today, the Mangrove Finch, is to see a species being rapidly driven towards exinction.

Found only in Galapagos, there are now fewer than 50 pairs of mangrove finches left on earth. At this point, intervention by conservationists is their only hope for survival. In the 170 years since Darwin's historic visit to Galapagos, not a single bird species has been lost due to the hands of man, but the mangrove finch may soon be the first.

The mangrove finch is an elusive bird--it was the last of Darwin's finches to be described in 1901, and it is one of the rarest birds on the planet today. This finch survives only in two small pockets of mangrove forest on the northwest coast of Isabela Island, and has been listed as critically endangered by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). The mangrove forests and swamps of the western islands of Galapagos are naturally scarce in the archipelago. The greatest threat to the mangrove forests, the finches, and the islands' biodiversity is the exploding human presence in Galapagos.

Today, as many as 27,000 people live in Galapagos, and more than 100,000 tourists visit the islands each year. With this human influx have come increased environmental pressures--the number one problem resulting from more human activity is the increased risk of intruducing further alien species. With introduced animals also comes disease, such as avian pox. Black rats, cats, fire ants, and the parasitic fly Philornis all threaten the mangrove finch, as well as other vulnerable species in Galapagos.

Galapagos Conservancy is supporting a comprehensive project to halt the decline of the mangrove finch and get this species off the endangered list. The most important part is to increase the knowledge about the needs and the ecology of this little known bird. If results from the field study point out the need for immediate action, this project will lead to a groundbreaking captive breeding and release program, which will be an enormous undertaking requiring the expertise of our partners in the islands, the Charles Darwin Foundation, and the Galapagos National Park Service.

Past support from our members has enabled more than a decade of pioneering study into the mangrove finch and its fragile habitat. This research allows well-informed conservation decisions to be made and to guide the following efforts of an Emergency Conservation Project to save this flagship species:

• Expanding the knowledge base with a comprehensive assessment of the remaining mangrove finch populations
• Protecting mangrove ecosystems
• Controlling invasive species like nest parasites and black rats that have prevented the finch from increasing its numbers

The following activities may be recommended as a result of the research and fieldwork conducted on the current mangrove finch population:

• Creating potential captive-breeding facilities for the mangrove finch at the Giant Tortoise Breeding Center in Puerto Villamil, Isabela
• Restoring degraded mangrove ecosystems, including the establishment of new mangrove forest plots on western Isabela
• Releasing the captive-bred birds to sites on Isabela and Fernandina where the mangrove finch once thrived

This project will also actively involve the people who call Galapagos home. The fate of the mangrove finch, and all of Galapagos, depends upon their commitment to conservation and the sustainable use of the region's magnificent natural resources. There will be initiatives to extend conservation education programs to local schools, and students will have access to the captive breeding facility and, in this way, become personally invested in securing the long-term survival of the mangrove finch.

Additionally, this project will combine our conservation goals with sustainable economic development initiatives. The main source of income for inhabitants of Galapagos is tourism, and the return of the mangrove finch to former sites, for example, will offer new opportunities for ecotourism. We're also helping fishermen and others pursue eco-friendy livelihoods that are compatible with protecting the ecological health of the islands.

We estimate the project to save the mangrove finch will cost approximately $150,000 over the life of the project. It is a substantial sum, but a worthwhile investment to ensure that future generations are able to share a world with this iconic species.

Please support the Mangrove Finch Conservation Project: visit our membership and donations page.