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
Galapagos Day 2024
Join us in London on Thursday 10 October for an inspiring evening of talks, discussion and networking, with speakers including Dr Arturo Izurieta Valery, Director of the Galapagos National Park.
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
History of Galapagos
The legend of Patrick Watkins
The first-known resident of Galapagos was Patrick Watkins, an Irishman marooned (either forcefully or perhaps voluntarily) on Floreana from around 1807 to 1809.
Read more
Climate
El Niño and La Niña explained
GCT Ambassador, Henry Nicholls, takes a deep dive into the impacts of El Niño on the wildlife of Galapagos and the current work being done to monitor these impacts.
Read more
Ocean protection
Overfishing
A decade of tracking whale sharks
In the first in a series of articles, Dr Alex Hearn reflects on the past ten years of work tracking whale sharks in Galapagos.
Read more
Tourism
Overtourism: What can Galapagos learn from other islands around the world?
As tourist numbers in Galapagos continue to rise, we speak to representatives from island communities in Skye, the Canary Islands, Rapa Nui and the Caribbean about the challenges of ‘overtourism’.
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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