The Galapagos Conservation Trust (GCT) was founded
in April 1995 to provide funds and support for conservation work in the
Galapagos Islands.
The Galapagos Islands are located 600 miles off the
coast of mainland Ecuador in South America, and are one of the largest
unspoiled areas left in the world. Charles Darwin visited there in 1835, where
he found the animals and plants of great interest and described the islands as
a “living laboratory of evolution”.
Recently three primary threats have emerged to the conservation of the
unique flora and fauna:
1.
The
destructive spread of introduced animals and plants
2.
Illegal
or uncontrolled exploitation of fishes and other marine resources
3.
A
significant increase in human migration to the islands
Conservation in Galapagos is primarily the
responsibility of the Galapagos National Park. They work closely with the
Charles Darwin Foundation, which is an international non-governmental
organisation founded in 1959 to advise the government of Ecuador on science and
conservation in the islands.
GCT supports on-going
environmental education programmes and the successful captive breeding
programmes for giant tortoises and Galapagos land iguanas, developed by the
Charles Darwin Research Station. Since the giant tortoise breeding programme
started in 1965, some 2,500 young tortoises have been released back to their
native islands.
GCT has also supported the
monitoring, protection and restoration of native plants and insects, as well as
control of animals and plants that have been introduced to the islands by man
and that are becoming a danger to the native species. The Mangrove finch, first
described by Charles Darwin on his trip to Galapagos onboard the HMS Beagle, is
critically endangered and only about 100 individuals are left anywhere in the
world. They are all found in the Galapagos Islands, and scientists have been
working hard to conserve this rare species with the support of GCT.
In the United Kingdom, GCT has provided funds for Ecuadorian scientists
visiting from Galapagos, to assist them to expand their knowledge and further
their education at universities in this country.
As well as a range of adult memberships available, a
Junior Friends of Galapagos programme has recently been developed to allow
young people to help with the protection and conservation of the Galapagos
Islands. A Junior membership pack and regular newsletter keep the Junior
Friends updated on news about Galapagos, and include a series of fact sheets
that have also been made available on the GCT website at www.gct.org/children.aspl.
The Galapagos Conservation Trust is the primary
source of information in the United Kingdom on conservation in Galapagos, and
works closely with other Friends of Galapagos organisations throughout the
world to help ensure the future of the Galapagos Islands.
Galapagos Conservation Trust
5 Derby Street
London W1J 7AB
United Kingdom
Phone: +44 (0)20 7629 5049
Fax: +44 (0)20 7629 4149
Email: gct@gct.org
Website: www.gct.org
Registered charity number 1043470
