An invasive species is a species that is introduced to an ecosystem by humans and that causes damage to the ecosystem. An invasive species in Galapagos is one that does not naturally occur there and has caused populations of native species to significantly decrease. Examples of invasive species are goats, fire ants and cats.
The Galapagos Islands face many environmental threats. Ecosystem degradation could be caused by: climate change, deforestation, pollution, overfishing, eutrophication and the introduction of invasive species.
Very little is known about the Galapagos land snail. It is only found in a small area in the arid and transition zone on Santa Cruz Island within an area less than 10 km². Its main threats are humans and invasive species. Urbanisation on Santa Cruz has caused habitat loss and degradation as farming, houses […]
A fundamental component of any conservation management strategy is monitoring the existing population of a species. Since 2011, the Galapagos Conservation Trust has been funding a monitoring and research project which has provided good insight into the current status of the Galapagos penguin. By monitoring the health of their populations, we can assess the health […]
As an endemic species, the Galapagos penguin populations in Galapagos are crucial for the survival of the species. This also means that any great change in their environment could lead to the entire species being wiped out! Some of the threats facing Galapagos Penguins are anthropogenic such as invasive species and new diseases, but environmental […]
