Conservation

On July 2nd, the tourist vessel, Spondylus, sank in Darwin Bay, Genovesa, with 15 passengers and a crew of 9 people on board and they were rescued by other two tourist vessels, Monserrat and Encantada.

The Galapagos National Park and the Charles Darwin Foundation have sent a team of technicians to the site and they are evaluating the environmental damage of this accident.

Authorities are in the process of recovering 300 gallons of diesel from the tanks of the sunk vessel. As of today, no major environmental damage has been reported.

Genovesa Island is located in the North side of the Galapagos Islands, seventy one nautical miles from Puerto Ayora.

Source: Galapagos National Park 

Scientists from the Galapagos National Park’s Fabricio Valverde Laboratory, the Charles Darwin Foundation, University of Missouri, St. Louis Zoo, led by Dr. Patricia Parker, detected the presence of Plasmodium en various Galapagos penguins while researching illnesses affecting avian species of Galapagos.

Plasmodium – a blood-borne that can cause avian malaria – affects birds, mammals and reptiles.  There are various forms of Plasmodium. Some can cause serious problems on a global scale but others are less harmful depending on the health of the individual animal affected.

It is not known which type of Plasmodium is present in the penguins tested because affected it is necessary to do a larger sampling.  For this reason a follow-up research expedition is planned to test a greater number of individuals and to identify the parasite, to determine the mosquito responsible for its transmission, and evaluate the presence in other bird species.

Plasmodium that affects birds is not contagious to humans and therefore cannot be transmitted to humans.

All the samples that will be collected on the monitoring trip (about penguins, mosquitos and other birds) will be analyzed in the Fabricio Valverde Laboratory of the Galapagos National Park, which has the specialized equipment and infrastructure for the research effort.

Each year the Galapagos National Park, with assistance from the Charles Darwin Foundation, does a census of penguins in the archipelago; the results of the last years have indicated stable populations of the species.

Source: Galapagos National Park. Press release July 3rd 2008

Yesterday, July 1st, the Galapagos National Park announced that the parasite causing avian malaria was found in several Galapagos penguins by researchers studying the presence and distribution of diseases in Galapagos birds.  

Immediate follow-up studies are needed to document the prevalence (proportion of birds infected) of the parasite throughout the four-island distribution of the penguin, and to begin to estimate the impact of this parasite and consider approaches to disease control to prevent spread across the penguin population and transmission to other bird species. 

The Charles Darwin Foundation and the Galapagos National Park are very concerned about these preliminary findings and they are actively working  to immediately take action to learn more about the status of the parasite in the penguin population. 

The Galapagos National Park will be posting a press release in the next hours.We will keep you informed as more information becomes available. 

Source: Charles Darwin Foundation 

WildAid, Conservation International, the Galapagos National Park Service, and INOCAR, installed the first mooring buoy of many in November 2007 as a way to reduce impacts on underwater marine systems.

The majority of tourists visit the islands on live-aboard boats, which provide the only point of access to many visitor sites. Each boat visit, amounting to hundreds per year at the more visited sites, results in an anchor being dropped.

The use of anchors causes damage to the seafloor environment and fragile coral reefs. 

As the INOCAR permit process has been completed, we aim to install six mooring bouys at Bartolome and two near the island of Wolf in 2008.  Funding for the first part of the project has been provided by the Crown Family.  

Source: WildAid 

In cooperation with Conservation International, WWF and the Galapagos National Park Service, WildAid completed the refit of the “Tiburón Martillo” floating base, which will be transported and based near the Wolf and Darwin Islands in late 2008.  While the  maritime area surrounding Wolf and Darwin Islands possess some of the world`s most unique biodiversity & is one of the world`s premier diving areas, the area has been identified as the most threatened in the Galapagos Marine Reserve due to continued presence of industrial fishing boats. 

Up to date statistics show the highest number of fishing violator captures have occurred around these islands, even though the patrolling activities are limited and quite spaced in time due to their isolation. 

According to dive experts, there has been a considerable reduction in the number of hammerhead sharks shoals that threatens the long term existence of these resources and the touristic activities developed from it. 

Hammerheads and other shark species around the world are being harvested primarily for their fins and the GMR remains one of the last regions where these creatures can be seen gathered by the hundreds.  Hence, it is vital that we establish a local and permanent surveillance and patrolling platform that will deter illegal fishing vessels from entering into these waters.

There’s a need of extra funding to start and support the operation of the Tiburón Martillo floating base, starting later this year.

Source: WildAid