We are working to strengthen protections for marine life within and beyond the Galapagos Marine Reserve and break the pervasive marine plastic pollution cycle that unfairly burdens island ecosystems.
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, Ecuador.
We are working with a range of local and international stakeholders to develop scientifically sound and community-informed protocols and systems that monitor the impact of marine plastic pollution, unsustainable fishing practices and overtourism on species and communities in the Galapagos Marine Reserve (GMR) and other fragile island ecosystems.
We are embracing new technological solutions, capacity strengthening opportunities and in-country legal expertise to inform and co-design community-led approaches to protected area management and enforcement. Targeted communications, outreach and briefings designed for key audiences and government stakeholders are integral to our work, promoting awareness of environmental challenges in the Galapagos Marine Reserve and tangible solutions for how to address these.
As a collective, our overarching goal is to take a holistic, solutions-oriented approach to protecting the rights of the species and local communities in the Galapagos Marine Reserve to exist in a healthy and pollution-free environment. Our objectives are:
Ocean pollution presents a severe and growing threat to both biodiversity and community wellbeing in the Galapagos Islands.
This famous Archipelago is a globally important hotspot for marine biodiversity, and is uniquely placed to provide a shining example of what a healthy ocean looks like, but only if the world comes together and commits to lasting and effective ocean protection.
At UNOC, we urgently need governments to commit to accelerating action for our oceans. This conference must be a rallying call to agree a legally binding Global Plastics Treaty that complements and strengthens existing frameworks such as MARPOL Annex V, ratify the BBNJ Agreement, and develop a dedicated global governance mechanism to regulate the use of drifting fish aggregating devices (FADs) in and around marine protected areas (MPAs). This must be supported by a just transition to a regenerative economic model that minimises waste, and collaboration on a regional scale to tackle challenges that transcend international borders.
On Monday 9 June, we hosted a United Nations Ocean Conference panel discussion with our partners at Fundación Ariana Rapa Nui and the Galapagos National Park Directorate, with voices from grassroots to Government, we explored the efforts of the Pacific Plastics: Science to Solutions network to break the plastic pollution cycle with innovation and collaboration.
We also celebrated the launch of the Tangaroa Alliance, a collective of over 10 Pacific islands uniting to co-design solutions for a healthy ocean and raise voices for a strong Global Plastics Treaty. Inspired by Rapa Nui, we shared our ‘Heads’ (knowledge), ‘Hearts’ (dialogues, art) and ‘Hands’ (action commitments) approach to address this global issue.
Our landmark report, released with the Galapagos National Park Directorate, presents the most detailed picture to date of the threat that coastal plastic pollution poses to the Galapagos Islands.
Oceanic island communities such as those in Galapagos are bearing the brunt of international plastic litter arriving from external sources and accumulating along coastlines. This influx of pollution is constant, and communities are compelled to fund clean-ups that add pressure to their overburdened waste management systems.
Our findings underline the urgent need for world leaders to agree to an ambitious, legally-binding Global Plastics Treaty that bans single-use plastics, accelerates the transition to a circular economy, strengthens international laws on waste management at sea and enforces the ‘polluter pays’ principle.
8 m
tonnes of plastic are dumped into our oceans annually
40 %
of plastic pollution in Galapagos is from maritime sources
68 %
of plastic items found on Galapagos coastlines are single-use items
95 %
of coastline plastic is coming from outside the GMR
We are working with partners across the Eastern Pacific to make Galapagos plastic pollution free once again, identifying the sources and impacts of plastic and supporting innovative solutions.
