The Galápagos archipelago consists of 13 islands and is located about 1,000 kilometers off the Ecuadorian coast in South America. Due to the unique flora and fauna, the islands belong to the UNESCO World Natural Heritage. The Galápagos Islands are of volcanic origin and form a unique landscape.
Of the 697 plant species recorded today, 167 are endemic. This means that they originated in Galápagos and only occur there. The number of non-native plant species has increased over the years and is now probably higher. Unfortunately, some of these cause major problems.
But not only the plant diversity is overwhelming. On the Galápagos archipelago and the surrounding area there is a great diversity of species. About 40 percent of the fauna there is native only to the Galápagos Islands, most of which are endemic and can only be found there. These include the Galápagos sea lion, the Galápagos giant tortoise, the Galápagos penguin and the sea lizard.
Meanwhile, tourism is the biggest source of income on the Galápagos Islands. At the same time, it also represents the greatest threat to the archipelago’s sensitive ecosystem and wildlife. UNESCO is now strongly controlling and directing the flow of tourists. The regulations are intended to help protect biodiversity.
Support Science for Conservation of the Galapagos
The Charles Darwin Foundation for the Galapagos Islands (CDF) is an international non-profit organization dedicated to scientific research. Since 1959, they have ensured the conservation of the Galapagos archipelago. Thanks to an agreement with the government of Ecuador and many partnerships and collaborations, the CDF has been working for more than 60 years to protect the Galapagos Islands and share the scientific results for the conservation of the archipelago with the world.
The mission of the Charles Darwin Foundation and its Research Station is to provide knowledge and assistance through scientific research and complementary action to ensure the conservation of the environment and biodiversity in the Galapagos Archipelago.
For more information on the Charles Darwin Foundation, please visit www.darwinfoundation.org/en/
To support this important work, we have dedicated an entire collection to the Galápagos archipelago. The postcard set “Galápagos” and “Galápagos 2” are the start. We are already planning further products which will be released soon. With the purchase of each product from the Galápagos collection, a portion of the proceeds will be donatet to the Charles Darwin Foundation.