Comparative research on plant populations and plant communities in the Galapagos Islands and Isla de la Plata

Comparative research on plant populations and plant communities in the Galapagos Islands and Isla de la Plata

Professor Ole Jørgen Hamann, Dr. Scient., Botanical Gardens, The Natural History Museum of Denmark  

The Galapagos Islands are known as an evolutionary exhibition window. The background of this is that the islands were colonised so late that the bio-geographical distribution of flora and fauna are, if not intact then at least highly clear. Therefore, studies of natural distribution and extension of Galapagos plants and animals may be performed with an unusual degree of precision.

Thanks to a visionary preservation policy on the part of the Ecuadorian authorities, the islands may justifiably be considered a prime example of both sustainable administration and sustainable exploitation. However, a number of plant species are currently under such severe threat that emergency assistance in the shape of cultivation outside the islands may be the only option if these species are to survive.

The applicants have performed scientific studies of the botany of the Galapagos Islands for many years, and are able to combine scientific competence with knowledge of local conditions and thorough familiarity with the history of Galapagos research.

As we see it, Galathea 3 offers opportunities for:

Introducing new aspects into the long-term projects, so that the development of the vegetation may be described and predicted.

Collecting and processing fresh material on location, so that protected and endangered species may be identified with the greatest possible degree of certainty.

Performing comparisons with the little-known Isla de la Plata, which is situated 37 kilometres from the mainland, regarding selected species to research dispersion mechanisms so that their migration routes may be determined and described.

Making observations and collect materials in locations that can only be accessed with difficulty.

Assisting the national parks of Ecuador in their endeavours to protect their natural heritage through practical performance of ex situ conservation projects (…)