Mayra Hernandez, a Galapagos native who is passionate about the island’s culture and environment, has led an initiative called “More Art, Less Garbage” that aims to make a positive difference. Mayra Hernandez’s initiative is aimed at inspiring the community to keep a cleaner environment. She encourages people to reconsider daily habits that produce waste.
She organized 14 workshops for 250 children on Santa Cruz Island. These workshops taught them how to transform plastic waste into toys and art. Mayra wants to spread “More Art, Less Garbage” to community colleges and schools, so that parents can be reached through their children. She hopes that by doing this, she can raise awareness of the damaging effects of plastic waste on Galapagos.
Mirian Silva, a Galapagos resident, is another WISE grant winner for her “Native Gardens”, which focuses on the conservation of native and endemic plants on Santa Cruz Island. She also aims to protect the iconic flora of Galapagos by reforesting areas in schools. Galapagos Conservancy is supporting projects like Mirian’s in order to ensure the sustainability of Galapagos.
They still face a variety of challenges despite their critical contributions and those of other female conservationists on Galapagos. Women are underrepresented in conservation leadership positions, which limits their ability to shape policy and influence decisions. Women in conservation can also be exposed to gender-based harassment and violence, which creates an unsafe environment.
Galapagos Conservancy’s WISE grant program and the achievements of female leaders on the island serve as powerful reminders of the important role women play in conservation. We can build a sustainable and equitable future for our planet by recognizing the contributions made by women in this area.
Mayra Hernández and her students ©Galápagos Conservancy
SER has led the way in ecological restoration over nearly 30 years, connecting more than 4,000 members around the world and championing effective practices and policies. The conference this year was no different, as around 1,000 academics, professionals, and scientists gathered in person for first time since 2019. They discussed the urgent imperatives of eco-system restoration.
Highlight of the event was Tapia’s presentation entitled “Rewilding Giant Tortoises : Engineering Plant Communities on the Galapagos Islands,” in which she explored the essential role giant tortoises play in revitalizing island ecosystems. Dr. Tapia stressed the importance of reintroducing giant animals, such as Galapagos tortoises. He also showed how their presence can revitalize entire plant ecosystems.
Tapia shared his insights about how the resurgence in giant tortoise population has affected plant communities at various scales. He noted that the resultant increase in herbaceous and decline in wooden plants. He called this phenomenon a “cascade” effect, where a single shift, such as the tortoises eating only certain plants, causes ripples in the ecosystem. The presence of the tortoises on the island has a domino effect, bringing about benefits for all the diverse species.
Tapia’s presentation raised the profile of Galapagos Islands and Ecuador internationally, but also highlighted a holistic approach to nature. He stressed the intrinsic value each species has as a contributor towards ecosystem health and resilience. Reintegration of giant tortoises and other megafauna is a testament of the Galapagos Conservancy’s collaborative efforts with the Galapagos National Park Directorate. This sets a benchmark for comprehensive island rehabilitation.
Events such as SER2023 highlight the importance of a collaborative, interdisciplinary approach to addressing the ecological challenges facing the 21st Century. Washington Tapia is leading the way to a more sustainable and greener future.
Dr. Washington Tapia, General Director of Galápagos Conservancy, attends
the 10th World Conference on Ecological Restoration (SER2023). Dr. Tapia
was one of the scientist guest speakers at the event. ©Galápagos Conservancy