Hi, welcome to my first blog entry.  I will be keeping this blog while working as a volunteer for the Charles Darwin Foundation (CDF) at the Charles Darwin Research Station (CDFRS) in the Galapagos Islands for the next 3 months. Further installments will hopefully be a little shorter and I will also have more photos to share.

A short introduction

I was selected by Friends of Galapagos New Zealand (FOGNZ) and the Hamish Saunders Memorial Fund (HSMF) as a professional volunteer to help the BIOMAR (Marine Biology) fisheries team here to assimilate/clean/integrate their fisheries data within a spatial context in preparation for sharing in a multi-user environment. Spatial (relating to, occupying, or happening in space) data can be accessed through a GIS (Geographical Information System) which, very basically, allows you to view/manipulate/analyse data based on its geographic location, e.g. a map might show where breeding colonies of fur seals are known to exist and their population densities relative to each other.

Arrival

I caught my first glimpse of the islands while descending through the clouds on approach for landing on Baltra Island. Two small islands appeared against the backdrop of a much larger island, with gently rising slopes that disappeared into the garua (mist). The arid nature of the lowlands became obvious as we landed on Baltra, where dry grasses and cacti contrast against darkish red and black volcanic rocks. The dry, or garua season runs from June to November and both air and sea temperatures are slightly cooler than in the wet and hotter season (more).

Off the plane, my instructions as a volunteer for CDF were to join the Los Nacionales (Nationals) queue, which was much shorter than that for International visitors. My queue seemed to take forever to shrink and I found out later that there are strict rules in place for nationals visiting the islands to prevent excessive migration - apparently making it more difficult than visiting the U.S. for some. Ironically, when I finally got to show an official my paperwork I was directed straight to the ‘International visitor’ queue and ended up being last through.

A bus took us to a ferry on the other side of the island. This was where I caught my first glimpses of wildlife. A penguin was preening itself about 20 metres along the shoreline from the pier. I checked to see if anybody else had spotted it, but nobody seemed to have noticed. Bright red crabs scurried over the rough black volcanic rock and frigate birds soared high overhead. My eyes were starting to pop out of my head as I ducked into the waiting ferry and found myself a good viewing spot. A dark shape loomed above towards the back of the boat and a very large pelican glided just over the roof. On the short ferry ride across to Santa Cruz Island I spotted another 5 species of birds, including flamingos. There were seals, boobies and… well, you get the idea! I’m supposed to be keeping this blog for 3 months, so I’ll not get too carried away so soon.

After a 45 minute bus ride through the cool and misty highland interior I arrived in Puerto Ayora on the southern side of Santa Cruz. I was almost at my destination. A 10 minute walk along the bricked main road (Av. Charles Darwin) took me almost to the end of town and past a host of colourful small restaurants and souvenir shops. I caught a taxi the rest of the way as my pack revealed its true weight. A taxi ride costs US$1 and gets you anywhere in town apparently.

The Charles Darwin Research Station is just within the boundaries of the National Park and I eventually got to the core buildings and a reception area. My largely forgotten Spanish was going to be put to the test for the first time. I asked for directions to the volunteer’s office, but the person I had been dealing with by email for many months was away. A helpful 20 year veteran of the station showed me to a shared room and he explained that there was only one key and another needed to be cut. Door left unlocked, I went to find the BIOMAR offices and met most of the team that afternoon.

The first few days were spent trying to get a handle on the work that needed to be done and dealing with the admin type things that cropped up. When I eventually got to speak to my email contact in admin, I explained about the lack of a key and was told I had been put in the wrong room. I was moved to the room next door, which I have to myself for the moment at least. I am now slowly settling into life at the station.

Next week I’ll share more about the station (including the conservation icon that lives here) and its surroundings.  Till then…

Pete

In 1972, George was found during a hunt for wild goats on Pinta Island and taken to the Galapagos National Park’s Giant Tortoise Captive Breeding Center. Back then, there was hope he would reproduce and that the island could be repopulated with this giant tortoise species. That task, however, turned out to be fruitless, since the last of the Geochelone abigdoni showed no interest whatsoever in reproducing, despite being penned up with females from several different species.

Subsequently, after various studies conducted by the Charles Darwin Foundation, two Geochelone becki females from Wolf Volcano, phenotypically similar in shell form, were placed in his pen in 1993. During all these years of cohabitation, Lonesome George showed no evidence of breeding behavior and was hostile toward his pen mates. Nevertheless, park rangers at the Breeding Center began to notice a change of heart in the animal in the last few months.

“Previously, George would attack his companions and was very territorial. We even had to feed him separately from the females, but now he accepts them and shares meals with them,” states Fausto Llerena, the park ranger who has cared for George since he was moved to the Center.

Things progressed to the point that two weeks ago park rangers observed a female known as No. 107 scraping the earth in nesting ground areas provided within the pen. Finally, this morning when park rangers made their rounds, they found a nest built last night.

Once the news was reported, park rangers opened the nest and removed the eggs to be incubated in the laboratory. Out of nine eggs laid, four were completely broken, two had cracked shells, and only three were intact. These were placed in incubators, two at a temperature of 29.5 °C (85.1 °F) to obtain females and one at 28 °C (82.4 °F) to obtain a male. There will be a wait of 120 to 130 days before it is known if the eggs are fertile and George will have offspring. Even if these three eggs are fertile, and the baby tortoises manage to survive, several generations will have to go by (genetically speaking) before it can be said that pure individuals of the Pinta species have been obtained. This will take centuries, considering the longevity of the tortoises and their late sexual maturation.

In 2003, the Galapagos National Park succeeded in eradicating feral goats from Pinta Island. Since the only native herbivores - the tortoises - were missing, undesirable changes began to take place in the island’s vegetation. In view of George’s apparent inability to reproduce, the GNP and the Charles Darwin Foundation, with advice from a number of scientists around the world, developed the Pinta Island Ecological Restoration Plan, which involves introducing the Española Island tortoise species to fulfill the role of Pinta ecosystem engineers.

In view of the many other species, ecological and evolutionary processes that must go on, the Galapagos National Park will proceed with the implementation of this ambitious plan as part of its “Ecosystemic Approach” to Galapagos conservation.

The second Annual General Meeting of Friends of Galapagos New Zealand will be held at
1800 on Tuesday 15th July 2008 in the New Zealand Centre for Conservation Medicine (NZCCM) at Auckland Zoo, Motions Road, Auckland.

All members are eligible to attend and vote.

The meeting will be part of a larger event – as set out below.

1530. Tour of Auckland Zoo

This is a special tour for FOGNZ members with Terry Evans, head of the Horticulture Team at the Zoo, and will include a visit to meet the four Galapagos Giant Tortoises that live there.
The tour will start at 1530 at Gate 2 in Motions Road.

1730. Drinks and nibbles

1800. AGM

1830. Talk by John Parkes - Landcare Research

Aliens in Galapagos - Lessons in pest eradication from Galapagos - How we can all benefit.
John is specialist in the eradication of invasive species, a problem common to Galapagos and New Zealand. John has also worked in New Caledonia, Chile, Argentina, USA and Hawaii, and last year he was on Gough Island in the South Atlantic where they have a serious mouse problem. John was involved in the planning of Project Isabela that successfully removed goats from Northern Isabela, and was also in Galapagos last year helping plan future eradications.

John will talk about how Project Isabela was developed and executed, very largely with Kiwi expertise and technology, how it has helped them plan additional projects and how the success of Project Isabela has encouraged people in other parts of the world to plan their own projects.

We will also be inviting members of the Auckland Zoological society and local Forest &Bird members to the talk, so could you please let Cathy know that you are planning to attend (cathy@galapagos.org.nz or phone 021 557 263) as we have a maximum of 70 seats at the talk.

While the cost of the hire of the very smart facilities at NZCCM has been taken care of by the NZCCM and the Conservation Committee at the zoo, we would appreciate a contribution to the cost of food and drink. We will be self-catering to keep costs down.

New Zealand Centre for conservation medicine is through Gate 2 at Auckland Zoo.

Plasmodium – a blood-borne parasitic protozoa that can cause avian malaria – affects birds, mammals and reptiles. There are over 200 species of Plasmodium, at least 10 species affect humans, others affect other animals including birds, reptiles and rodents.

It is not known which type of Plasmodium is present in the penguins tested because 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 check for its 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 will be analyzed in the Fabricio Valverde Laboratory of the Galapagos National Park, which has the necessary 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 few years have indicated stable populations of the species.

The Galapagos Penguin Sphensicus mendiculus is one of the smallest penguins in the world and the only one found north of the equator. Its current population is estimated to be less than 2000 individuals and it is listed as endangered on the IUCN Red Book of endangered species.