TheGalápagosIslandshaveevolvedintoaplacefilledwithwondrousplantsandanimals.ManyarefoundnowhereelseonEarth.Forty‑twopercentoftheplants;79percentofmammals;80 percentofbirds;91percentofreptiles;and56percentofinsectsliveonlyontheGalápagos Islands.
Intheirisolation,theislandshavebecomealivinglaboratoryforscientists.Yet,invasivespeciesposegravethreatstotheGalápagos’unique ecosystems.
Weareoneofthosethreats.Today,morethan30,000peopleliveontheislands.Morethan160,000 touristsvisiteveryyear.Ourfootprintleavesamarkonthisplace.TovisittheGalápagosIslandsisaremarkableprivilege.Wearehonor‑boundtobegood stewards.
Whatcanwedo?Wecanprotectvulnerablespeciesandecosystems.Wecanlimittheintroductionofinvasivespecies.Wecanpromoteclimateresearch.Wecanpromotecommunityawareness.Canwedothesethingsalone?No.Itwilltakeallofus,workingtogethertoprotectthisspecial place.
