Oceanic islands and climate: using a multi-criteria model of drivers of change to select key conservation areas in Galapagos

Abstract

The unique marine and terrestrial ecosystems of the Galapagos Islands are highly vulnerable to human-based drivers of change, including the introduction of invasive species, unsustainable tourism, illegal fishing, overexploitation of ecosystem services, and climate change. These drivers can interact with climate-based drivers such as El Niño-Southern Oscillation (ENSO) at multiple temporal and spatial scales, exacerbating their negative impacts on already fragile ecosystems and the socioeconomic system of the Archipelago. In this review, we performed a literature review based on published literature from 1945 to 2020 and local and global climate databases to analyze drivers of change in the Galapagos. We developed and applied a spatial impact assessment model to identify high-ecological value areas with high sensitivity and exposure scores to environmental change drivers. We identified 13 priority HEVA that encompass ca. 23% (14,715 km2) of the Galapagos Archipelago, distributed in nearly 3% of the Galapagos Marine Reserve and 20% Galapagos National Park. Current and future impacts are likely to concentrate on the inhabited islands’ highlands, whereas marine impacts concentrate along most of the Galapagos Islands’ shorelines. These results are important for guiding the design and implementation of adaptation measures aimed at increasing ecosystem resilience and human adaptive capacity in the face of global environmental change. Overall, these results will be valuable in their application for preserving Galapagos biota, securing the provision of vital ecosystem services for resident human populations, and sustaining the nature-based tourism industry.

A pilot study to estimate the population size of endangered Galápagos marine iguanas using drones

“…Likewise, by georeferencing marine iguanas, we can study patterns of occurrence and aggregation across the islands and characterize their habitat quality [ 41 ]. This information can be used to highlight areas as critical sites for protection, further aiding the recognition of specific conservation priority areas in the Galápagos Archipelago [ 42 ].…”

Detecting the most effective cleanup locations using network theory to reduce marine plastic debris: a case study in the Galapagos Marine Reserve

“…Owing to the increasing tourism on the Galapagos Islands (Escobar-Camacho et al, 2021) and the waste management challenges the islands face (e.g., Mestanza-Ramón et al, 2020;Wang et al, 2021), it is important to not only unravel the waste streams on the islands and the mainland, but also to understand the waste streams in the ocean if the waste is not properly managed. The effective cleanup locations presented in Fig.…”

“…The marine reserve and the Galapagos Islands are a UNESCO World Heritage Site and host a unique biodiversity (e.g., Denkinger and Vinueza, 2014). The islands face increasing levels of pollution, mainly from remote sources Escobar-Camacho et al, 2021), where over 8 t of plastic are removed from the coastlines of the Galapagos Islands each year (estimate from unpublished coastal cleanup data). Recent observations have identified 27 Galapagos marine vertebrates at high risk by exposure to microplastic contamination (Jones et al, 2021).…”

Efficiently Simulating Lagrangian Particles in Large-Scale Ocean Flows – Data Structures and their Impact on Geophysical Applications

“…The Galapagos Archipelago is home to one of the most iconic and unique ecosystems in the world, but it is also under pressure from human influences (Escobar-Camacho et al, 2021). In particular, large amounts of plastic wash up on some of the beaches around the Galapagos (Jones et al, 2021), carried by ocean currents from the mainland (van .…”