With 2025 right around the corner, we wanted to take a moment to share some of the achievements we’ve accomplished this year with your help!
Communications and Marketing Officer
From publishing our landmark plastics report in partnership with the Galapagos National Park Directorate and representing the Galapagos Islands at global events including the Pacific Leaders’ Summit to moving offices and expanding our team, we have had a very productive year, all of which would not have been possible without you.
In February, five species of Darwin’s finch, held safely in captivity during the eradication of invasive species from Floreana, were released back onto the island (170 finches into the highlands and 340 into the lowlands). The project, supported by GCT, aims to reintroduce 12 locally extinct species and restore the island’s degraded ecosystem.
In April, GCT’s CEO, Dr Jen Jones, and Senior Development Manager, Alice Marks, represented GCT and our Pacific Plastics: Science to Solutions (PPSS) partners at the UN Ocean Decade Conference in Barcelona. The conference centred around ‘the science we need for the ocean we want’ and included a talk from Jen on the role of networks such as PPSS in sharing knowledge, voices and solutions from Pacific islands that are burdened with global plastic pollution.
Also in April, GCT’s Programmes and Policy Manager, Lucía Norris, attended the Pacific Leaders’ Summit in Rapa Nui (Easter Island). At the summit, Lucía had the opportunity to present our landmark plastics report, published in 2024 in collaboration with the Galapagos National Park Directorate, which highlights the sources and impacts of plastic pollution in Galapagos. The summit concluded with the signing of the ‘Rapa Nui Declaration’ which outlines a collective commitment to ocean protection and the fight against plastic pollution in the Pacific region.
In addition to sharing knowledge and stories, the visit marked the start of a new partnership between GCT and Rapa Nui. A partnership that has grown and developed into a collective of voices fighting for the protection of vulnerable island territories from plastic pollution.
Our report presents the most detailed picture to date of the threat that coastal plastic pollution poses to the Galapagos Islands.
In April, the team attended the fourth round of negotiations for a global agreement to end plastic pollution in Ottawa. Not only were we there to raise our voice for an ambitious and legally binding Global Plastics Treaty, but we also demonstrated the strength of our new partnership with Rapa Nui by facilitating a workshop with the Galapagos National Park Directorate which brought together representatives of the Ministries of Foreign Affairs of Ecuador and Chile and several other organisations to discuss the solutions needed to eliminate the threat of plastic pollution to island territories.
In preparation for the fifth and supposedly final round of negotiations in November, we collaborated with organisations across the Pacific, including the Municipality of Rapa Nui and the Galapagos National Park Directorate, on a detailed policy brief to assist the negotiators of the Global Plastics Treaty. The brief provides guidance and practical recommendations that will bolster the international response to plastic pollution in island territories.
While we are disappointed that the Treaty was not finalised at this round of negotiations, we are proud to be part of a powerful collective voice for Pacific islands and will continue to fight for a future that is free from plastic pollution.
In October, we came together at our new central London venue, 1 Wimpole Street, for our biggest event of the year. We were thrilled to be joined by so many of our members, supporters and partners, along with many new faces.
Our theme this year was ‘Turning the Tide on Plastic Pollution’, and we met the scientists using cutting-edge technology to map the scale of the problem, policymakers working to secure a Global Plastics Treaty to stem the flow of plastic pollution, and the community leaders driving change on the ground.
Along with the talks, we enjoyed the opportunity to catch up with old friends and build new connections – such an important part of events like Galapagos Day. It was a successful evening too in terms of fundraising, with over £3,000 raised on the night through a combination of raffle and merchandise sales, donations and new GCT members.
You can make a difference too by adding your name in support of our policy brief which provides guidance and practical recommendations that will bolster the international response to plastic pollution in island territories.
In November, actor, broadcaster, writer and bona fide national treasure Stephen Fry raised the plight of Galapagos giant tortoises and the threat of plastic pollution through our BBC Radio 4 Appeal.
The funds we raised from the appeal will allow us to continue training a new generation of Galapagos-born conservationists including Cristian Peñafiel, whose research includes tracking the migration routes of endemic giant tortoises, and supporting the Young Tortoise Protectors, who are cleaning up litter and sounding the alarm when tortoises wander into urban areas.
Following the Appeal, we were thrilled to announce Stephen Fry as our new Galapagos Conservation Trust Ambassador!
With your support, we have been able to support several early career researchers this year. They include Denisse Dalgo, a PhD Candidate at Leipzig University, who is studying the impact of climatic events on endangered marine iguanas, Henry Moreau-Smith, a Masters student at the University of Exeter, whose research is focused on developing and assessing plastic monitoring methods for use in the Galapagos Marine Reserve, Georgie Savage, a PhD student at the University of Exeter, who is looking into identifying tools that can be applied to rapidly assess pollution to aid monitoring and management capabilities of the Galapagos National Park, and Gislayne Mendoza Alcívar, a laboratory technician at the Charles Darwin Foundation, who is monitoring the health of endangered land birds by analysing them for the presence or absence of infectious agents.
From all of us at GCT, thank you for your continued support, our work would not be possible without you and we can’t wait to see what the year 2025 will bring our team and the people and wildlife of the Galapagos Islands.
While our Radio 4 Appeal has finished, you can still support our work to protect giant tortoises by donating to our Tortoise Emergency Appeal.
If you are not already, please consider becoming a member to help play a vital part in the ongoing efforts to preserve and protect these incredible Islands and their unique flora and fauna.
