INVASIVE SPECIES IN THE GALAPAGOS ISLANDS

By: José Antonio Duran

What are the Galapagos Islands?• A group of 19 volcanic islands on the

pacific ocean.

• Located 1000KM away from the South American continent.

• It is referred to as a ‘living museum showcase of evolution’.

• The isolation of the islands led to the development of unusual life

• i.e.: the land iguana and the giant tortoise.

• These animals inspired Charles Darwin’s theory of evolution.

What are invasive species?• Invasive species are any animals plants or seeds that are able to live

and reproduce in an environment that is not native to that species.

Invasive species are very likely to cause environmental harm to the environment in which they where introduced and can also cause harm to human health.

Invasive Species in Galapagos:

Name Of Species How It Was Introduced

Impact Control

Goats Brought in by pirate ships. They would leave them there so that the next time they stopped there would be something to eat.

Goats eat all the vegetation in Galapagos except for two plants, destroying the vegetation.

Dogs are used to group the goats together and then they are shot.

Dogs Dogs were brought in by humans to help in with the cattle and other similar jobs.

Feral dogs eat marine iguanas and other animals native to the Galapagos islands.

Feral Dogs have been eradicated from most islands.

Rats Brought in unaware by humans in boats.

Eats many species native to the Galapagos including turtle eggs and much of the vegetation.

In many populated areas pest controls are used to control the spreading of rats in the Galapagos.

The Feral Pig

• The feral pig is one of the most destructive species in the Galapagos islands.

• Its scientific name is Sus scrofa.

• Mainly found on the Island Santiago but also found on Isabela.

How was it introduced?• The pig was initially introduced in

1835.• Similar to the goat, they were

introduced by humans using boats. The pigs were left there to reproduce so that the next time humans came back there would be something to eat.

• After being introduced the feral pigs started reproducing rapidly.

• They spread across the islands and as they spread they damaged the environment.

• The feral pigs were reported to be numerous by 1875.

Impact • The feral pigs are very

destructive.

• They dig up the nests of marine turtles and also dig up a number of native plants.

• Apart from eating plants, feral pigs can also consume many invertebrates that are native to the Galapagos islands.

Control• Efforts to control feral pigs began in the 1970’s.• The efforts were not very organized until 1996-97 when the pigs

became a real big problem.• To control the pigs, dogs are used to track them down.• When they are found, they are gathered in groups and then shot.• After 25 years of work, feral pigs eradicated from Santiago in 2001

Bibliography• http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/1• http://www.invasive.org/• http://www.galapagospark.org/nophprg.php?page=

desarrollo_sustentable_especies_invasoras• http://www.galapagospark.org/nophprg.php?page=

parque_nacional_introducidas_cerdos• http://www.conservationevidence.com/individual-study/

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