These gentle giants are one of the reasons why the Galapagos Islands attract tourists year after year. Catch a sight of the lively sea lion population on La Loberia, an isolated stretch of beach located near the main town of Puerto Baquerizo Moreno on San Cristobal Island.
Take the minute walk from town or hire a taxi to get you there quicker. You can swim and snorkel in the beautiful waters here or sit back and photograph the various wildlife in addition to the sea lions. These most likely will be yellow warblers, frigates, lava lizards, and wild iguanas. Explore the pirate hideaway of Tagus Cove on the uninhabited Fernandina Island, the westernmost island in the archipelago.
See the lava caves, coves, and various locales perfect for hiding away treasures. Look for writings and drawings on the cliff walls, etched there by pirates, whalers, and naval soldiers of the past.
The island volcano is the youngest of all the islands and remains active today. Within this center are four laboratories where studies of all life forms on the islands occur. Examine exhibits for an overview of biology, geology, and history of the islands. Learn about volcanic formation, ocean currents, and the differing species that call the islands home.
Also, see how human history relates to the islands and their conservation efforts. Located on one of the smaller islands, Pinnacle Rock is a must-see and perfect spot to capture some of your best photographs. Bartolome Island is tiny and home to many nesting sea turtles. You may also get glimpses of sea lions and penguins here.
Explore the various lava tunnels on the island of Santa Cruz for an illuminating look at the size and power of volcanic activity of the past which created the island. What is particularly unique about these lava tunnels is that they are large enough for you to walk through. No need to crouch or crawl for the experience. In addition, you can see wildlife, including the largest marine iguanas found in the islands and the flightless cormorants, an endangered species.
This location also is part of world history, serving as a WWII radar base. You can wander through its ruins. Just point a smartphone or tablet at the relics and watch as 3D images and historical information appear on your device. Get ready to experience a dramatic site as you arrive at Punta Espinoza on Fernandina Island.
Hundreds if not thousands of marine iguanas cover the black lava formations of the beach area, creating an overwhelming sight. In the nearby lagoon, observe sea lions at play, along with turtles and penguins. Admire the nesting flightless cormorants nearby as well. This protected wildlife sanctuary aims to keep the species safe from predators. There is an on-site restaurant, so plan your visit around lunchtime if you can. From Puerto Ayora, hail a taxi to the reserve or bike ride an unpaved pathway from the small village of Santa Rosa.
These are not actually craters but instead considered to be sinkholes formed when the empty magma chambers of the volcano collapsed due to erosion and tectonic shifts. Almost no other site in the world offers protection of such a complete continuum of geological and geomorphological features. The islands constitute an almost unique example of how ecological, evolutionary and biogeographic processes influence the flora and fauna on both specific islands as well as the entire archipelago.
Endemic flora such as the giant daisy trees Scalesia spp. Examples of endemic and threatened species include 12 native terrestrial mammal species 11 endemic, with 10 threatened or extinct and 36 reptile species all endemic and most considered threatened or extinct , including the only marine iguana in the world. Likewise the marine fauna has an unusually high level of diversity and endemism, with 2, marine species identified with High profile marine species include sharks, whale sharks, rays and cetaceans.
The interactions between the marine and terrestrial biotas e. Recent exploration of deep sea communities continues to produce new additions to science. The Galapagos archipelago is located about 1, km from continental Ecuador and is composed of islands, islets and rocks, of which 19 are large and 4are inhabited. The islands are surrounded by the Galapagos Marine Reserve which was created in 70, km 2 and extended to its current area , km 2 in , making it one of the largest marine reserves in the world.
The marine reserve includes inland waters of the archipelago 50, km 2 in addition to all those contained within 40 nautical miles, measured from the outermost coastal islands. Airports on two islands Baltra and San Cristobal receive traffic from continental Ecuador with another airport on Isabela mostly limited to inter-island traffic.
All the inhabited islands have ports to receive merchandise. The other uninhabited islands are strictly controlled with carefully planned tourist itineraries limiting visitation. Around 30, people live on the islands, and approximately , tourists visit the islands each year.
The main threats to the Galapagos are the introduction of invasive species, increased tourism, demographic growth, illegal fishing and governance issues i. These issues are constantly analyzed and monitored to adequately manage them and reinforce strategies to minimize their impact. In a law was passed to control fishing and over-exploitation of Galapagos marine resources.
This law designated the current Galapagos Marine Reserve as a protected area under the responsibility of the Galapagos National Park Service. These global challenges require an interdisciplinary, problem-solving approach, and UNC-Chapel Hill is uniquely positioned for success as a leader in multidisciplinary research that engages natural, social, spatial and computational sciences.
This is the only institution of its kind in the Galapagos Archipelago and is unlikely to be duplicated by any other research institution. We are poised to make a dramatic leap forward in our understanding of the Galapagos and how to mitigate the dual challenges of environmental change and human impact on the natural world. Our initiative is at a turning point, just emerging from the start-up phase, and could be quickly scaled-up, given additional investment.
0コメント