What is the Importance of Protecting Endemic Species in the Galapagos?

The Galapagos, located off the coast of Ecuador, is one of the most treasured places in the world.The Galapagos is highly biodiverse and home to thousands of endemic species of flora and fauna. An endemic species can be defined as a species that is native to one location but cannot be found anywhere else in the world (Kricher, 2006, pp. 18-22)

Visiting the Galápagos was indeed a one-of-a-kind experience, one that I would recommend to any nature enthusiast! Species like these are proof of how sensitive and vulnerable nature can be if we leave it unprotected from the threat of climate change.

Voiijer ‘Dalia’ tells us about the endemic species she encountered in the Galapagos. Experience the full Voiij on the app >>

Because these rare species are endemic to the Galapagos, they are much more susceptible to being impacted by changes in temperature, sea level, pH, and much more.Climate change threatened the very existence of these endemic species. Therefore, protecting species like the Galapagos Flamingo and Land Iguanas is even more essential to ensure a future for them.

I currently hold a degree in environmental studies, and while at school in the spring of 2020, I was lucky enough to take a trip to the Galapagos and study its exceptionally high biodiversity. I saw some extraordinary animals and plants during my week-long trip. Here are some of the ones I saw that are endemic to the Galapagos: Giant Tortoises. These guys were huge! My group went to a non-profit restoration for these creatures, and it was such a pleasure to see so many of them in one place.

Blue Footed Booby. We saw these creatures while on a boat about to go snorkeling.Seeing so many was a bit of a surprise, and I was thrilled to have captured them on camera.Their blue feet were such a beautiful baby blue color. I was so glad to have captured the color on camera.

Reef White-Tipped Sharks. When the trip was finished, everyone in the class wrote a research paper on a species of their choice, and I chose these sharks!Reef White-Tipped Sharks sleep huddled together in caves which were my favorite fact I learned about them.

Sea Lions. The Galapagos Sea Lions are the islands’ most abundant and curious animals. Sea Lions are very comfortable around humans, so it’s typical to see them lounging around near people on benches and beaches.Although, it is vitally important that the people do not touch the SeaLions , a well-known and respected fact on the island.

Marine Iguana. I spotted these animals with my group on one of the last days of the trip. We walked along the beach after a long day of hiking and writing in our journals. We went to a beach where there were dozens of Marine Iguanas ,and many of them got pretty close to us, so we got some great pictures.

Galápagos Flamingo. We also found these guys on a nature reserve, and it was one of the most exciting moments on the trip for me. I had never seen a flamingo in real life before this trip, and when we saw them, it was such a dream come true. These animals are such majestic beings. It was like being in the presence of royalty!

Land Iguana. One of the most remarkable pictures I took on this trip has to be this one. We found this skeleton of a Land Iguana while hiking to a beach. At First,I didn’t even see it because it was camouflaged so well until someone on the trip pointed it out.

Visiting the Galápagos was indeed a one-of-a-kind experience, one that I would recommend to any nature enthusiast! Species like these are proof of how sensitive and vulnerable nature can be if we leave it unprotected from the threat of climate change. We all must do our part to ensure a future for the endemic species of the Galapagos.

Referenced: Kricher, J. (2006).Galápagos: A Natural History(2nd ed.). Princeton University Press.