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23/10/2024 Events Plastic pollution

Galapagos Day 2024: Turning the Tide on Plastic Pollution

On Thursday 10 October we gathered at a new venue, 1 Wimpole Street, for Galapagos Day, our biggest event of the year.

Hannah Rickets

Communications and Marketing Officer

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.

Our programme of talks began with an introduction from Charmian Caines, GCT’s Chair of the Board of Trustees, who outlined the work GCT has been doing to tackle plastic pollution in the Galapagos Islands.

Charmian Caines © Akemi Yokoyama / GCT

Charmian then introduced our first keynote speaker of the night, Dr Ceri Lewis, Associate Professor in Marine Biology at the University of Exeter and Principal Investigator for the Pacific Plastics: Science to Solutions network. Ceri presented the last seven years of plastic pollution research, supported by GCT, in the Galapagos Islands. Through shocking statistics and imagery, we were shown how plastic pollution has damaged fragile ecosystems and endemic wildlife.

However, Ceri also emphasised how this ground-breaking science is now driving solutions across the Archipelago, including ongoing research to create plastic-free and biodegradable shopping bags.

Dr Ceri Lewis © Akemi Yokoyama / GCT

Read our landmark plastic pollution report

Check out the most detailed picture to date of the threat that coastal plastic pollution poses to the Galapagos Islands.

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Dr Ceri Lewis was then joined on stage by Dr Jen Jones, Chief Executive of GCT, and Monty Halls, President of GCT and TV presenter, for a panel discussion moderated by GCT Trustee and CEO of Forum for the Future, Dr Sally Uren OBE.

They discussed the need for plastic pollution research to help inform management strategies, and the critical role the media can play in helping to not only raise awareness of environmental issues, but also provide the hope and optimism needed to motivate behavioural changes.

L-R: Monty Halls, Dr Ceri Lewis, Dr Sally Uren and Dr Jen Jones © Akemi Yokoyama / GCT

Our second keynote speaker of the night was Dr Amy MacLeod, a biologist based at the University of Leipzig, and founder of the Iguanas from Above project, which has been supported by GCT for many years.

Amy introduced us to some of the cutting-edge technology her team are pioneering in Galapagos to gather a baseline dataset on the population dynamics of endemic marine iguanas. Through the use of drones, Amy and her team can reach some of the most difficult-to-access places in the Archipelago and capture imagery of marine iguanas and the threats they face, including plastic pollution.

Amy also showcased the project’s citizen science platform, Zooniverse, which allows people around the world to count marine iguanas and contribute to their conservation!

Dr Amy MacLeod © Akemi Yokoyama / GCT
Lava lizard and plastic pollution in Galapagos

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We are working with partners across the Eastern Pacific to make Galapagos plastic pollution free once again.

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Amy was then joined on stage by His Excellency Mr Luis Vayas Valdivieso, Ecuador’s Ambassador to the UK and an elected chair of the United Nations Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee for the Global Plastics Treaty, and Lucía Norris, GCT’s Policy and Programmes Manager.

Moderated by Sally, the panel focused on the solutions to plastic pollution, including the application of drone technology to study the impact of plastic pollution on different species, the current work being done to negotiate a legally binding Global Plastics Treaty, and the community champions driving change on the Islands.

L-R: His Excellency Mr Luis Vayas Valdivieso, Dr Amy MacLeod, Dr Sally Uren and Lucía Norris © Akemi Yokoyama / GCT

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.

Other highlights included an exhibition of the winners from our most recent Galapagos Photography Competition, and a ‘Young Photographers of Galapagos’ exhibition which showcased some powerful photos of plastic pollution in Galapagos captured by young people living on the Islands.

We were also joined by Airborne Platforms, a drone provider that GCT has partnered with to train Galapagos National Park rangers on how to carry out beach clean-ups using drones, and Conservation X Labs, who are using remote cameras and artificial intelligence to help monitor the impact of invasive species in Galapagos.

Thank you to everyone who joined us this year at Galapagos Day, including our corporate partners, Mundy Adventures (our event sponsor), Latin Routes, SwimTrek and Steppes Travel, and of course our wonderful volunteers who helped the event run so smoothly; we thought it was one of the best ever. And for those who weren’t able to attend this time – see you in 2025!

Galapagos Day 2024 © Akemi Yokoyama / GCT
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