Wildlife specialist from the Galapagos National Park Directorate of the Ministry of Environment, Water and Ecological Transition, Island Conservation and Re:Wild together with different allied organizations and members of the Floreana Island community developed a workshop to establish lines of action and time for the gradual reintroduction of 13 species considered locally extinct on the island.

During three days of work, the basic information was collected for the elaboration of individual reintroduction plans for the vegetarian finches, sharp-billed finch, large ground finch, gray songbird, large tree finch, witch bird, pachay, lava gull, barn owl, Galapagos hawk, mockingbird, grass snake and giant tortoise of Floreana, starting in 2024, once the phase of removal of rodents and feral cats has been applied next year. These species and their dynamics in the ecosystem will contribute to the restoration of this island.

At this meeting, working groups made up of specialists with different areas of scientific and management expertise were organized, where they analyzed the conditions required in the ecosystem to ensure that the species adapt to the environment of their new habitat on Floreana. Among the aspects considered are: the source population, risk analysis, biological viability, social feasibility and its connection with other existing species.

“Floreana is one of the first inhabited islands in the world where species that were lost in the last two centuries will be reintroduced, thereby expanding endangered populations and restoring disappeared ecological networks. This activity has been planned according to ecological relationships between species, so the gains for the restoration of the ecosystem will possibly be greater than if isolated individual reintroductions were made,” said Luis Ortíz-Catedral, scientific advisor of the Galapagos National Park, an expert in wildlife.

“We would not have been able to reach this stage of the project, which began twelve years ago, without the joint work of the local community that has been involved during the different phases of the project and all mitigation and training measures have been taken to ensure their well-being,” said Danny Rueda, director of the Galapagos National Park.

Fact:
The Floreana project, which involves the elimination of invasive species and the reintroduction of locally extinct species, is a project that will set a precedent on a global scale and will serve as a model for the restoration of other islands around the world.

Communications Directorate
Ministry of Environment, Water and Ecological Transition