Carolina’s educational program was launched on May 20,22. It is targeted at Santa Cruz Island girls aged 11 and 12. Many Galapagos women grew up believing that menstruation is associated with shame, limitation, or disease. Red Coral, a Campaign was created as part of the project with the help of experts from Red in Red Citizen’s Collective. This group of women is dedicated to education and menstrual health. The workshops offer detailed and precise information about managing menstruation.
Carolina spoke on the Galapagos Conservancy radio show. She stated that the initiative includes a sustainability component. This raises awareness about the fact that disposable menstrual pads and tampons are toxic to the environment. Reusable menstrual management products are very environmentally friendly and help women’s health.
This project will help girls to understand that menstruation does not have to be shameful.
Gabriela Vivas (Director of Operations at Galapagos Conservancy) commended Carolina’s initiative. She stated that stigmatization and taboos around menstruation have made it difficult for women to be educated, healthy, and happy. Menstrual education should be accessible to all.
Santa Cruz’s two public schools are involved in the project, which aims to reduce the stigma associated with menstruation. Around 200 people have benefited from the project, including 90 young girls and 13 teachers as well as their parents.
We hope to reach all Galapagos schools and colleges through this campaign, which aims to raise awareness about the importance of sustainable menstrual management products and biodegradable materials. Carolina stated, “I am passionately committed to helping our girls live their menarche naturally. This will allow them to explore this new phase in their lives with a more respectful perspective of their bodies.
Galapagos Conservancy commends Carolina for her efforts to address issues related to menstrual health from an environmental perspective. Carolina’s holistic approach prepares young girls for a new stage in their lives and examines the environmental impact of menstrual product.
Carolina Carrión in a menstrual education workshop © Galápagos Conservancy
To hatch baby tortoises, the first breeding program used artisanal solar incubators made of wood and lined by cement. To maintain eggs at a constant temperature, electric hair dryers were connected to timers. Iniciativa Galapagos funded the modernization and expansion of Santa Cruz and Isabela’s Breeding Centers. This included a sophisticated automated incubator system that controls and regulates the temperature.
In 1970, the program’s first great success was when 20 of its first baby tortoises were born in captivity and released to Pinzon Island. Nearly 9,000 juvenile tortoises were released back to their islands of origin since then. Captive rearing is responsible for the survival of as many as a third all Galapagos Giant Tortoises today. Galapagos Conservancy, Conservando Galapagos and Conservando Galapagos have supported the Galapagos National Park in maintaining three breeding centers. There are many threats to Giant Tortoises and their numbers remain below 10%. We are thrilled to announce that the San Cristobal Breeding Center will reopen in 2023. Today, 2,200 more juvenile tortoises are being kept at the Breeding Centers. They will soon be released into nature, and there will be thousands more.
First-ever photos of juvenile Pink Iguanas showing characteristic striping © GNPD / Galápagos Conservancy
Photo of the first documented nesting site by Pink Iguanas © GNPD / Galápagos Conservancy
Since the “Galapagos Initiative” announced in October 2021 to bring together the efforts of the GNPD and the Galapagos Conservancy to help save the pink iguana, seven expeditions have been conducted to assess the current status and identify the threats facing the species; in recent months, the team documented nesting sites and detected active nests as well as hatchlings and juvenile iguanas of different ages.
Non-native feral cats preying on Pink Iguana hatchlings. © GNPD / Galápagos Conservancy
Genetic analysis to confirm the identification of juvenile pink iguanas is ongoing, while camera traps deployed by the team throughout the volcano have documented ample evidence of pink iguana mating and nesting activity, and even potential competition with conspecifics with whom they share Wolf Volcano’s habitat.
At the same time, there is great concern about the abundant presence of feral cats in the iguana’s living and nesting areas, representing a serious threat to these reptiles in their most critical and vulnerable phase, being currently considered one of the main causes for the lack of documented recruitment in the pink iguana population.
The Galapagos Initiative is now urgently focused on providing greater facilities for monitoring, research and protection of the pink iguana nesting areas through the implementation of a permanent station, funded by the Galapagos Conservancy, on the summit of the volcano with 360 degree visibility.
Danny Rueda, Director of the Galapagos National Park, thanked the Galapagos Conservancy for their support and assured that “this remote base will facilitate the conservation and monitoring work on the volcano, especially to guarantee the conservation and restoration of the pink iguana population”.
In Ecuador, the first case of Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza H5 (HPAI) was reported in November 2022. It affected wild birds and poultry in particular. To contain this highly contagious virus, the Ecuadorian government declared the country a national emergency for 90 days. 180,000 birds were killed.
As part of efforts to stop the spread of the disease, the Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock has taken preventative measures to safeguard wild birds on Galapagos. They have also strengthened biosecurity measures on poultry farms in order to protect their production.
Danny Rueda is the director of Galapagos National Park. He stated in a press release by the MAG that permanent monitoring was set up in areas where there is the greatest influx of seabirds. Some of these birds are migratory and all visitor sites to ensure wildlife safety.
The Agency for the Regulation and Control of Biosecurity and Quarantine for Galapagos (ABG), issued Administrative Resolution No. 035, which prohibits fresh or frozen meats, eggs, and day-old chicks from entering the country. It also bans interisland movement and organisation of events involving a concentration avian species.
Galapagos Conservancy, together with Conservando Galapagos are vigilant in this health emergency. We offer our support to the Galapagos National Park Directorate, ABG, and any other needs that may arise on the archipelago.
The new book, “” by Millie Kerr (wildlife journalist) takes readers on an international exploration of innovative conservation initiatives led by passionate conservationists to save some of the most endangered species in the world.
Millie argues strongly for “rewilding,” a radical new approach in wildlife conservation that seeks to prevent the decline of species and to restore whole ecosystems through the repopulation of endangered species.
We are pleased that Iniciativa Galapagos (previously Giant Tortoise Restoration Initiative) is highlighted in “”. This partnership between Galapagos Conservancy (GNPD), and Galapagos National Park Directorate, (GNPD), emphasizes the role of Giant Tortoises for the recovery of Galapagos ecosystems.
Millie tells of the 50-person expedition that Washington Tapia, General Director at Conservando Galapagos and partner to Galapagos Conservancy led to find Giant Tortoises of unusual shell shapes. They were specifically looking for saddleback shells in contrast to the domed ones of the native Wolf Volcano. Tapia and his crew collected blood samples of 1,700 tortoises from the expedition. These were then sent to Yale. An analysis of blood samples revealed that the saddleback tortoises that were sighted in the area were a mix of Giant Tortoises and Wolf Volcani. This was many years later. Iniciativa Galapaos may now begin to reintroduce tortoise populations in Floreana, Pinta Islands using the same genetic makeup as centuries past.
Tapia stated, “We are proud to have Iniciativa Galapagos’ work recognized in the new book” and for our work in ecosystem restoration to be considered part of the solution.” Tapia stressed that the GNPD, Galapagos Conservancy and other organizations have been championing breeding giant tortoises and rewilding these Critically Endangered species for years.
Wilder’s success stories in conservation, like the one in Galapagos send a positive message at a critical moment in fighting biodiversity loss.
Galapagos Conservancy President Dr. Paul Salaman stated that “Iniciativa Galapagos is perhaps the most successful rewilding effort for any Critically Endangered species of Earth with a success rate exceeding 90% of young tortoises being repatriated into nature to ensure Giant Tortoises have an fighting chance of survival.”
Galapagos Conservancy has a commitment to the rewilding and conservation of the Galapagos Islands. The archipelago’s ecosystems have been affected by climate change, invasive species and overfishing. These pressing issues are being addressed in our efforts to ensure the long-term health of the Islands. Rewilding Giant Tortoises, the primary terrestrial ecosystem engineers, plays a crucial role.
It is difficult to care and love about something you don’t know. Education for Sustainability helps students and teachers understand the Islands and the wider world. Every action we take has consequences. Understanding the environment helps us all to make better decisions, individually and collectively.
Mayra Flores is a school principal on Isabela Island and a teacher. These thoughts were shared by Mayra Flores after the Galapagos Conservancy’s June Teachers Institute, which was the 11th week-long professional development event hosted by Education for Sustainability of Galapagos.
All 400 teachers in Galapagos have joined ESG to help students learn core subjects within the context of global and local sustainability issues. This includes interdisciplinary learning, experiential learning outside the classroom, connections to local experts, and learning while tackling real-life problems.
The ESG Program has been developing 60 teacher-leaders since 2017. They are now able to duplicate the instruction provided by program staff throughout each year. Teacher-leaders are now involved in the delivery of programs and support their peers. Teams of leaders collaborated with program staff to create model units that were interrelated to the essential topics and learning standards in the Contextualized Curriculum of Galapagos. The October 2021 unit was a month long and focused on issues related invasive species. The integrating theme for June was marine and terrestrial biodiversity. Leaders shared their ideas and assisted their peers to adapt the units for specific grades and islands. They also helped adjust or redesign activities and develop new support materials.
Teacher-leaders were also trained as facilitators during June. They managed groups of 30 teachers each week and replaced facilitators from other countries. Mayra says, “[Being an facilitator] has helped strengthen my skills related to collaborative, interdisciplinary planning and contextualized learning. It also allowed me to tap into local sources of expertise including naturalist guides and scientists.”
Mayra believes that teachers are more comfortable teaching sustainability education. Six years ago, sustainability seemed abstract and complicated to us. It was not relevant to our teaching jobs. We now know that sustainability is vital for all Galapagos residents. It provides teachers with a strong framework for teaching and learning.
June 2022 Teacher’s Institute