Global 200 Ecoregions

Preserving Darwin's Legacy
The Galapagos Islands


 
Major Habitat Type
Deserts & Xeric Shrublands

Biogeographic Region
Neotropical/Oceanic/Tropical Eastern Pacific

Location
Ecuador - South America

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Biological Diversity

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Summary


Named for their endemic large tortoises, the Galapagos Islands, a small volcanic archipelago 1,000 kilometres west of Ecuador in the Pacific Ocean, are some of the most unspoiled ecological and evolutionary treasures in the world. Made famous by Charles Darwin after his visit in 1835, the islands are known internationally for their extraordinary beauty and unique wildlife that evolved in isolation from the South American mainland over several million years. The islands and surrounding marine ecosystems are widely recognised for the remarkable adaptive radiation shown by their plants and animals. Both the flora and fauna display a high degree of endemism, as would be expected in such an isolated tropical archipelago. Numerous communities, ecological interactions, and species adaptations are unique to the islands.

Isabella, the largest of the islands, is about 132 kilometres long and makes up more than half of the land area of the islands. Its 1,689-metre peak is the highest in the archipelago. Parts of the Galapagos were first designated as a wildlife sanctuary by Ecuador in 1935. In 1959 the sanctuary became the Galapagos National Park.

Although many plants and animals are protected by law, and most of the islands are protected by the national park, the wildlife of the Galapagos Islands is increasingly threatened. As on other ecologically fragile islands, the arrival of humans continues to cause the decline of species through fishing and collecting, and most significantly through habitat destruction and the introduction of non-native species.



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