Shark Ambassador Program Galapagos
Donation protected
Shark Ambassador Program on Isabela Island by Conservation Forward
Conservation Forward was born of an initiative to create awareness in this unique and sensitive part of the worlds oceans “The Galapagos Islands”. Through environmental education and science, we promote conservation without forgetting of the human component which is crucial for long term sustainability. We support education and research projects which will have a profound impact in the society and environment of the place.
The Galapagos Archipielago is an isolated place with approximately 25000 inhabitants, based on the last census in 2015. It is a little known fact outside of the Galapagos that local communities here face social problems. A growing proportion of young people are likely to come into contact with drugs or become involved in anti-social behavior rather than learning about the unique place in which they live. Regrettably, to date there has been very little information published on this subject, or even support to tackle these issues on the other Islands. However, it is clear that teachers and parents have concerns about the future of their children growing up in the Galapagos. What is more, many kids from the islands, specially the ones living in the highlands, do not know how to swim, which creates a problem for marine conservation as they cannot participate in deep water activities and do not get to experience their home at its fullest.
The Galapagos National Park was created in 1959 and the Galapagos Marine Reserve in 1998. Since, the Galapagos National Park and the Charles Darwin Research Station have been promoting conservation and science that have significantly improved the state of the Archipelago. Regulations have been in place to control and mitigate the impact of the inhabitants and tourism upon the natural world of the island, and they are of great importance to maintain a balance. These same regulations limit the access of permanent residents on the populated islands to the National Park, and this causes a social problem, since the majority of the settlers have never been in the wild places around their home, and it is nearly impossible to protect or understand something that you have never seen.
The Marine Education program has been around since 2017 to this day, with the “Shark Ambassadors Program” on Santa Cruz Island, giving access to local young people to the marine ecosystems, complementing the outings with environmental talks, marine scientist discussions, community projects and natural interpretation, thus establishing a very solid identity among the young Galapagueños and their ocean.
We are requesting 15000 USD to fund the “Shark Ambassadors program” on Isabela Island. “The Shark Ambassadors Program” is the first marine education project for the Galapagos Islands focused on sharks, as the vehicle to understand the importance for healthy oceans and how vital theses wonderful animals are to all of us.
Isabela Island is an excellent place to develop marine educational activities in the field, since the town of Puerto Villamil has a beautiful long beach easily accessible and a series of salt-water lagoons where associated marine life can be interpreted. What is more, the wetlands in and nearby Puerto Villamil are declared a Ramsar site (a commitment from member countries to maintain ecological character of their wetlands) as they are the habitat of different marine and land species. Therefore, expanding the Marine Education Project to Isabela is a logical next step.
It is vital that young people who live in the Galapagos are given the opportunity, encouragement and motivation to learn about the pristine place they call home in order to develop positive and productive activities in their free time and become the future protectors of this precious archipelago.
As the Galapagos need more environmentally aware citizens, its crucial that we continue with programs like these and with your support we will create more opportunities to learn and discover for young inhabitants of Isabela island.
Conservation Forward was born of an initiative to create awareness in this unique and sensitive part of the worlds oceans “The Galapagos Islands”. Through environmental education and science, we promote conservation without forgetting of the human component which is crucial for long term sustainability. We support education and research projects which will have a profound impact in the society and environment of the place.
The Galapagos Archipielago is an isolated place with approximately 25000 inhabitants, based on the last census in 2015. It is a little known fact outside of the Galapagos that local communities here face social problems. A growing proportion of young people are likely to come into contact with drugs or become involved in anti-social behavior rather than learning about the unique place in which they live. Regrettably, to date there has been very little information published on this subject, or even support to tackle these issues on the other Islands. However, it is clear that teachers and parents have concerns about the future of their children growing up in the Galapagos. What is more, many kids from the islands, specially the ones living in the highlands, do not know how to swim, which creates a problem for marine conservation as they cannot participate in deep water activities and do not get to experience their home at its fullest.
The Galapagos National Park was created in 1959 and the Galapagos Marine Reserve in 1998. Since, the Galapagos National Park and the Charles Darwin Research Station have been promoting conservation and science that have significantly improved the state of the Archipelago. Regulations have been in place to control and mitigate the impact of the inhabitants and tourism upon the natural world of the island, and they are of great importance to maintain a balance. These same regulations limit the access of permanent residents on the populated islands to the National Park, and this causes a social problem, since the majority of the settlers have never been in the wild places around their home, and it is nearly impossible to protect or understand something that you have never seen.
The Marine Education program has been around since 2017 to this day, with the “Shark Ambassadors Program” on Santa Cruz Island, giving access to local young people to the marine ecosystems, complementing the outings with environmental talks, marine scientist discussions, community projects and natural interpretation, thus establishing a very solid identity among the young Galapagueños and their ocean.
We are requesting 15000 USD to fund the “Shark Ambassadors program” on Isabela Island. “The Shark Ambassadors Program” is the first marine education project for the Galapagos Islands focused on sharks, as the vehicle to understand the importance for healthy oceans and how vital theses wonderful animals are to all of us.
Isabela Island is an excellent place to develop marine educational activities in the field, since the town of Puerto Villamil has a beautiful long beach easily accessible and a series of salt-water lagoons where associated marine life can be interpreted. What is more, the wetlands in and nearby Puerto Villamil are declared a Ramsar site (a commitment from member countries to maintain ecological character of their wetlands) as they are the habitat of different marine and land species. Therefore, expanding the Marine Education Project to Isabela is a logical next step.
It is vital that young people who live in the Galapagos are given the opportunity, encouragement and motivation to learn about the pristine place they call home in order to develop positive and productive activities in their free time and become the future protectors of this precious archipelago.
As the Galapagos need more environmentally aware citizens, its crucial that we continue with programs like these and with your support we will create more opportunities to learn and discover for young inhabitants of Isabela island.
Organizer
Celso Montalvo
Organizer
Brandon, FL
