{"id":23735,"date":"2015-03-20T14:55:00","date_gmt":"2015-03-20T14:55:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/cornellsailing.com\/ocean\/endangered-places\/galapagos-islands\/"},"modified":"2026-02-18T11:56:44","modified_gmt":"2026-02-18T11:56:44","slug":"galapagos-islands","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/cornellsailing.com\/de\/archives\/past-rallies\/unser-ozean\/endangered-places\/galapagos-islands\/","title":{"rendered":"The Galapagos Islands"},"content":{"rendered":"<p class=\"description\">Main threats and issues facing the Galapagos Islands<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone\" title=\"\" src=\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/06\/Destination-Galapagos-1.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"530\"><\/p>\n<h2 class=\"color-orange\">Where are the Galapagos Islands<\/h2>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone\" title=\"\" src=\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/pages\/BPO-tracking-150222.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"530\"><\/p>\n<h2 class=\"color-orange\">Basic Facts<\/h2>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignright\" src=\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/pages\/Galapagos-map-WCD.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\"><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>The Galapagos Archipelago forms a group of volcanic islands straddling the equator about 600 miles west of Ecuador<\/li>\n<li>The Galapagos are a province of Ecuador and were declared a national park in 1959<\/li>\n<li>The Galapagos national park and marine reserve are unique and extraordinary ecosystems, recognised by UNESCO as World Heritage Sites<\/li>\n<li>The Galapagos\u2019 population has increased from roughly 3,000 in the 1960s to about 30,000 today<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2 class=\"color-orange\">Weather<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li>The climate is equatorial, but greatly influenced by the cold Humboldt Current<\/li>\n<li>December to May is the better season when the weather is pleasantly warm, with an average of 28\u00b0C\/82\u00b0F, and the winds are light<\/li>\n<li>The water around the islands is surprisingly cold and the meeting of the Humboldt Current and the warm air sometimes causes mist over the land<\/li>\n<li>Occasionally the Humboldt Current is replaced by the warm El Ni\u00f1o current, a phenomenon that can affect weather conditions in the entire South Pacific \u2013 and occasionally its effects are felt throughout the world<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2 class=\"color-orange\">Charles Darwin<\/h2>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/pages\/Galapagos-Darwin.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"510\"><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>In 1835 the islands received their most famous visit, from HMS Beagle and Charles Darwin.<\/li>\n<li><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignright\" src=\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/pages\/Galapagos-Darwin-finches.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\">The way different species have evolved in isolation from the rest of the world, was one of the major observations made by Darwin on his visit, which led to his theory of evolution.<\/li>\n<li>Darwin noticed that the finches on the different islands showed wide variations in their size, beaks and claws from island to island. For example, their beaks were different depending on the local food source.<\/li>\n<li>He concluded that, because the islands are so distant from the mainland, the finches that had arrived there in the past had changed over time.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2 class=\"color-orange\">Flora and Fauna<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li>Humans came late to these volcanic islands, so their biodiversity was remarkably well-preserved over the centuries<\/li>\n<li>The islands\u2019 unique wildlife includes many endemic species of both land animals and birds, living amid barren volcanic scenery<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span class=\"note\">(Click on picture to enlarge)<\/span><\/p>\n<p><p>Invalid Displayed Gallery<\/p><\/p>\n<h2 class=\"color-orange\">Environmental Challenges<\/h2>\n<p>In 2007 the islands were classed by UNESCO as World Heritage in Danger.<\/p>\n<p>Following work by the authorities to regulate the growing human population and tourist numbers, the islands are no longer classed as such. The threats remain real, however.<\/p>\n<h3>Burden on resources<\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li>Illegal fishing with longlines, catching sharks for their fins only<\/li>\n<li>Growing human resident population<\/li>\n<li>Increasing numbers of visitors<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3>Invasive Species<\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li>There are now more introduced plants than endemic ones in the Galapagos<\/li>\n<li>Animals introduced by humans, including goats, pigs, dogs, cats and rats, are also a problem<\/li>\n<li>Populations of iconic species such as the Blue-Footed Booby have declined sharply<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3>Pollution<\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li>Plastic debris entangles marine animals or is mistaken for food<\/li>\n<li>\u2018Ghost\u2019 lines lost from fishing vessels can trap marine creatures<\/li>\n<li>Waste from human populations onshore is not properly managed<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2 class=\"color-orange\">Useful links<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/www.galapagospark.org\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">www.galapagospark.org<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/www.darwinfoundation.org\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">www.darwinfoundation.org<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/galapagosconservation.org.uk\">https:\/\/galapagosconservation.org.uk<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/www.seashepherd.org\/galapagos\/about.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">www.seashepherd.org\/galapagos\/about.html<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p class=\"description\">Main threats and issues facing the Galapagos Islands<\/p>\n<\/p>\n<p> Where are the Galapagos Islands <\/p>\n<p> Basic Facts <\/p>\n<p> The Galapagos Archipelago forms a group of volcanic islands straddling the equator about 600 miles west &#8230;<\/p>\n<p><span class=\"button\"><a href=\"https:\/\/cornellsailing.com\/de\/archives\/past-rallies\/unser-ozean\/endangered-places\/galapagos-islands\/\">Read more<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"parent":9885,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"ngg_post_thumbnail":0,"footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"class_list":["post-23735","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry","odd"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/cornellsailing.com\/de\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/23735","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/cornellsailing.com\/de\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/cornellsailing.com\/de\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cornellsailing.com\/de\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cornellsailing.com\/de\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=23735"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/cornellsailing.com\/de\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/23735\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":63826,"href":"https:\/\/cornellsailing.com\/de\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/23735\/revisions\/63826"}],"up":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cornellsailing.com\/de\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/9885"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/cornellsailing.com\/de\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=23735"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}