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Endemic Galapagos Hawk -- The lava lizard didn't stand a chance. Photo by Jennifer Crossman

Galapagos Travel Update: Good Riddance to Invasive Rats

As part of an ongoing commitment (and battle) to eradicate invasive species on the Galapagos Islands, partner organizations including the Charles Darwin Foundation (CDF) and Galapagos National Park (GNP) are once again attacking the invasive rat population of the Galapagos Islands. The rats causing all the trouble were first brought inadvertently to the islands in the 17th century as stowaways on ships. Rats have been successfully removed from other islands; [...]

 

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Travelers visit breeding centers for giant tortoises in the Galapagos, and meet some of the newest residents. Photo by Alicia Cruz

Galapagos Travel: After 40 Years, Giant Tortoises back on Pinta Island

In late May 2010, thirty-nine giant tortoises were released onto the Galapagos’ Pinta Island. Called the “Pinta Project 2010“, the release and monitoring of the tortoises is definitely a team effort that includes Ecuador’s Ministry of Environment, the Galapagos Conservancy, Galapagos National Park, State University of New York, and the Huston Zoo. Pinta Island has not seen tortoises on its shores for nearly 40 years, when the last known Pinta [...]

 

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Giant Tortoise - the Galapagos' namesake

Galapagos Wildlife: Charles Darwin Foundation Releases the Ultimate Wildlife Checklist

      Following an intense two years of research, the Charles Darwin Foundation (CDF) has recently released their Galapagos Known Species Checklist. Teachers, students, scientists, travelers and wildlife enthusiasts in general are encouraged to download and utilize the comprehensive list to further understand the delicate environment of the Galapagos. While this list is just phase one of an ongoing project to fully understand and categorize the known species in [...]

 

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Mike Guzman, National Geographic magazine's My Shot

Do Carbon Offsets Do More Damage Than Good?

For the past few years, I have heard lots of news about carbon offsets and we have had lots of discussion within the office about carbon offsetting. I’ve skeptical of the usefulness and so we have never offered carbon offsets to our clients. To me, it seemed as if the threats facing the pristine forests of the Amazon, the fragile wildlife of the Galapagos and the wonderful indigenous cultures of [...]