Galapagos Conservancy renews commitment to supporting CDF and GNP

Galapagos Conservancy, the US based Friends of Galapagos organization, has pledged support of over a million dollars to the Charles Darwin Foundation and the Galapagos National Park Service for 2009/2010.

Dr. Gabriel López, Executive Director of the Charles Darwin Foundation, adds "It is impressive that even in these difficult times, our Friends of Galapagos in the United States feel that Galapagos is still high on the agenda and that the unique partnership developed by our two organizations (Charles Darwin Foundation and the Galapagos National Park Service) is worthy of this level of support. We are very excited about the new projects developed with Galapagos Conservancy".

Continuing its long history of support for Galapagos conservation and building sustainability, Galapagos Conservancy has committed funds to a wide variety of important new initiatives. These include an investigation of the effects of climate change in Galapagos, the restoration of the degraded areas of several of the islands including Pinta, original home of Lonesome George, the last remaining member of his species of giant tortoises, and the publication of the world's largest data bank on Galapagos species.

People matter in Galapagos too, and Galapagos Conservancy has renewed its contribution to the Galapagos Report, an annual publication on socio-economic trends affecting Galapagos, and is sponsoring important new research into the previously little-studied impacts of the human presence in these remote islands.

Johannah Barry, President of Galapagos Conservancy, said "To understand why Galapagos has arrived at this point, we need to understand motive, opportunity, and alternatives. Why are people moving to Galapagos? Why are residents and external investors alike compromising the very resources that brought them to Galapagos?"

Galapagos Conservancy has committed USD 1.046.000 between January 2009 and April 2010 to the efforts to conserve one of world's best preserved, and yet most environmentally fragile island groups.

Further Information:
Ivonne Guzmán
cdfinfo@fcdarwin.org.ec
www.darwinfoundation.org