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Ecoventura, parent company to M/V Galapagos Sky, is extremely proud to announce our recent partnership with Charles Darwin Foundation (CDF). On July 31, 2017 an agreement was signed by the leading dignitaries from the Charles Darwin Foundation, Galapagos National Park Service and Ecoventura establishing the Galapagos Biodiversity and Education for Sustainability Fund (GBESF). Together we aim to combine our resources in a collective effort with the goal to bolster conservation in the Galapagos Islands ensuring the diverse plant, animal, and marine life of the archipelago are here for generations to come.
The GBESF funds will be used to support research and conservation projects related to biodiversity including but not limited to monitoring trips, community outreach, scientific equipment, and Galapagos National Park Directorate (GNPD) boat maintenance and equipment as well as the support of projects related to education for sustainability, including scholarships for Galapagueños to study at a local or national university.
From right to left: Eliecer Cruz (former governor of the board), Dr. Arturo Izurieta (executive director of the CDF), Santiago Dunn (Executive President Ecoventura), Dr. Jorge Carrion (Environment Area Director of DPNG)
Home to a vast array of unique tropical plants and wildlife, The Galapagos Islands are a remarkable, albeit extremely delicate ecosystem. It is for this reason that approaching the islands with the utmost care and respect is of paramount importance and essential to their preservation.
Unfortunately, despite the Galapagos being home base to some of the world’s greatest conservation minds and the marine area being under government protection since 1998, the Islands still fall victim to invasive species, tourism companies that are not as committed to island preservation as Ecoventura, and poachers looking to steal the unique wildlife native to the islands for display at foreign zoos or worse yet, to serve as exotic cuisine.
To ensure the protection of this magical corner of the earth, Ecoventura and CDF have come together to raise resources in support of conservation in the Galapagos Islands. To start, we are promoting special cruise departures May 13-20, 2018 and February 24-March 03, 2019 on our dive boat, the M/V Galapagos Sky, in partnership with CDF’ Marine Biologist, Dr. Pelayo Salinas de Leon, to raise awareness and raise funds for the Galapagos Biodiversity and Education for Sustainability Fund.
Going forward, our partnership will serve to stem the flow of these growing problems and empower all those willing and capable of lending a hand to return the islands to their original state. Admittedly, this is not entirely possible seeing as some species have already become extinct, but if we can prevent the islands from losing so much as one more species of plant or animal, we’ve done our job.
The Charles Darwin Foundation for the Galapagos Islands (CDF) is an international not-for-profit scientific organization. The CDF has been working in Galapagos since 1959 under an agreement with the Government of Ecuador and with a clear mission to work closely with Government Institutions, providing scientific knowledge and assistance to ensure the conservation of Galapagos. Here’s a bit about their exceptional organization . . .
THE CHARLES DARWIN FOUNDATION
For fifty years, CDF has worked closely with the Galapagos National Park Directorate (GNPD), the main local government environmental authority, overseeing the safeguarding of the island’s’ natural resources, providing the results of scientific research to conserve this living laboratory.
Over one hundred scientists, educators, research assistants, support staff, and volunteers from all over the world take part in this effort. The organizational staff is 90% Ecuadorian and CDF is committed to the training of Galapagos residents as future scientists for the good of the islands and the country at large.
With the help of the IUCN, UNESCO, and a team of worldwide conservationists, the Charles Darwin Foundation for the Galapagos Islands (CDF) was founded under Belgian Law in 1959. For nearly 60 years, CDF has provided unique scientific solutions to protect the Galapagos Islands. Our work continues to make the biggest impacts at local, national and international levels.
Stay tuned to Ecoventura and Charles Darwin Foundation for more on our partnership as well as ways you can help lend a hand to the ongoing conservation efforts in the Galapagos!
Please email Galapagos Sky or CDF for more information and ways you can contribute to this worthy cause!
