I want to find out more about Galapagos
Learn about the unique wildlife and history of the Galapagos Islands, and the conservation challenges that now threaten the Archipelago.
About Galapagos
The Galapagos Islands need your help
Galapagos is one of the most extraordinary places on Earth, but it is also particularly vulnerable. Plastic is arriving on ocean currents, littering its beaches. Invasive species are devastating the birds, plants and the famous giant tortoises. And overfishing is taking a heavy toll on marine life.
What would you like to do?
I want to find out about GCT’s work
Find out how our projects are helping to restore degraded island habitats, conserve threatened species and protect the seas around Galapagos.
Our work
I want to support GCT
Support our conservation work in Galapagos by becoming a member, donating to an appeal, adopting an animal, attending an event or entering our photography competition.
Support us
What we do
Galapagos Conservation Trust was founded in 1995 and is the only UK-registered charity to focus exclusively on the conservation and sustainable development of the Galapagos Archipelago and its unique biodiversity. We work with scientists, authorities, NGOs and local communities to tackle key threats to the unique biodiversity of Galapagos, including invasive species, plastic pollution, climate change and overfishing. Together with our project partners we gather the evidence needed for maximum conservation outcomes, whilst ensuring strong educational and communications campaigns garner public and political support for interventions.
Our impact
85 p
in every £1 we raise goes directly towards conservation in Galapagos
18.9 %
of Ecuadorian waters are now protected
£ 1.8 m
raised in 2023 – our best year yet
30 %
by 2030 – our goal for ocean protection
Plastic Pollution Free Galapagos
45% of all plastic used along the Pacific coastline of South and Central America is inadequately managed, leaking 1 million tonnes of plastic each year.
Our Plastic Pollution Free Galapagos programme is a multi-million pound, multi-year project, which feeds into broader work looking to tackle pollution across the Eastern Pacific region.
Restoring Floreana
Floreana is the sixth largest island in Galapagos and used to be home to some of the most iconic species in the Archipelago.
We are supporting partners to undertake one of the most complex eradication projects ever conducted on an inhabited tropical island, with the ultimate aim of reintroducing locally extinct species.
Galapagos Whale Shark Project
The whale shark is the world's largest fish, reaching lengths of up to 20 metres, yet surprisingly little is known about it.
By tagging individual whale sharks, the project team hopes to build a robust set of data about their migration behaviour, to determine what action is needed to protect this magnificent ocean giant.
Galapagos Tortoise Movement Ecology
Driven to extinction on some islands and the brink of extinction on others, tortoises are slowly recovering, but remain threatened.
The major threats to giant tortoises all stem from anthropogenic causes. Only through a human understanding of their ecological needs can landscape planning successfully conserve their numbers.
The latest from our blog
Ocean protection
Research
Tracking whale sharks in Peru: New friends and new partners
In the final part of his series on tracking whale sharks in the Eastern Tropical Pacific, Dr Alex Hearn explores the connections between Galapagos whale sharks and the waters off northern Peru.
Read more
Education and outreach
Sustainable development
The conservationists changing Galapagos: Three short films by Craghoppers
We spoke to the Head of Marketing at Craghoppers, Charlotte Jackson, and Director, Charlie Pinder, about their experiences creating three profound films about the Galapagos Islands.
Read more
Ocean protection
Research
Pirates and plane crashes: Searching for whale sharks in troubled waters
In part four of his series documenting a decade of whale shark research in Galapagos and the Eastern Pacific, Dr Alex Hearn reveals the dangers of working in areas plagued by piracy and drug trafficking.
Read more
Ocean protection
Women in science
Everything we know about the elusive whale shark: an interview with Sofía Green
There is still a lot we are only just discovering about the mysterious whale shark. Sofía Green, at the Galapagos Whale Shark Project, answers some of your questions about this elusive species.
Read more
Join us today
Become a member from just £4 a month and support our vital conservation work in Galapagos.
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