Overview
As part of our Connecting with Nature Programme, GCT has partnered with Education 4 Nature Galapagos (E4NG) to facilitate opportunities for families in Galapagos to grow their own food, cultivate endemic plants, and connect with nature through the Urban Family Gardening project.
Project Partners
COVID-19 in Galapagos
80 %
of the local economy relies on tourism, which halted in March 2020
499
families participated in the UFG project between 2021-2022
97 %
of Galapagos is National Park, leaving just 3% for community life
75 %
of fresh food consumed on the Islands is imported from the mainland
The problem
During the COVID-19 pandemic, families in Galapagos faced financial hardship due to the sudden halt in tourism (making up 80% of the local economy) and reliance on produce imported from mainland Ecuador (over 1/3 of all fresh food). In partnership with a small sustainable agricultural farm in the highlands of San Cristobal named Hacienda Tranquila (HTSA), we kickstarted the Urban Family Gardening (UFG) project as part of our Connecting with Nature programme to support local families to grow their own produce and cultivate endemic plants.
Throughout the first year of the project, we reached 525 families and 21 local teachers, all provided with crops and endemic plant seeds, an educational gardening pack and experiential activities at the HT farm. Over time the project has evolved from ensuring self-sustainability to promoting eco-literacy, adapting to climate change and empowering families to connect with nature through engaging educational resources, impactful outdoor outreach activities and collaboration with local teachers.
How we’re tackling it
By encouraging and supporting local people as they learn to grow their own food so they can become self-sufficient, we can help mitigate some of the financial hardship the Galapagos community faces.This project highlights the key goal of Galapagos Conservation Trust’s Connecting with Nature programme – to ensure that more young people have the chance to get out and experience the natural world around them. By making nature more accessible, we will inspire families and instill passion in the future ambassadors of Galapagos for the incredible wildlife with which they share their Islands.
Our project builds community through purposeful human-nature interactions and deepens the respect for nature amongst local families. The project will continue developing the teacher network by providing educational resources and helping to co-design classroom projects and outdoor educational activities and field trips.
Project goals
- Engage local youth and families to empower them to forge a deeper relationship with nature and protect the unique biodiversity of Galapagos.
- Promote eco-literacy and stewardship of unique wildlife with endemic plant species stories on San Cristobal and Floreana islands.
- Support teachers by helping to design classroom projects, formalise activities into educational resources, and co-design comparative place-based education outdoor activities and field trips.
Project updates
Urban Family Gardening: Positivity amidst the pandemic
Connecting with Nature webinar 2021
2020 Successes!
Help us support the Galapagos community
With your help, we can safeguard the future of these Enchanted Isles.