At the end of June I had the amazing opportunity to travel with Natural Habitat Adventures to the Galápagos Islands. As you might imagine, it was the trip of a lifetime – and not just for the incredible wildlife sightings and beautiful landscapes. The biggest takeaway for me was the scale at which conservation is happening, and how and why it is so important in that very special place. As you look through this photo essay I hope you’ll be inspired by what I saw in the Galápagos and think about your own connection to our planet.
- The Galápagos is unlike any other place on Earth. While the majority of it is uninhabited, people are a big part of this dramatic archipelago’s story. © WWF-US/Andrew Wiley
- The National Park and Marine Reserve are represented by a number of talented professional naturalist guides. Our guides, Luis and Roberto, are tremendous assets to the Natural Habitat Adventures team—WWF’s travel partner—and are seen here modeling their WWF gear. They made our trip a truly educational experience, sharing how and why the Galápagos is such an important part of the greater conservation story. © WWF-US/Andrew Wiley
- The Galápagos is an example of the powerful role that conservation can play in protecting nature’s jewels. It is a place of particular endemism, where conservation is a central part of everyday life. WWF is a key player among a coalition of conservation organizations working closely with government institutions to limit human impact on this special landscape. This sign greets tourists who are about to embark on the ships that carry them around the islands. Panda power! © WWF-US/Andrew Wiley
- The archipelago was formed only 5 million years ago by volcanic eruptions caused by the eastward movement of the Nazca tectonic plate, and is therefore being constantly reborn with every subsequent eruption. In fact, its youngest islands are on the western edge of the plate and are thought to be only 100,000 years old. It is here where we began our journey. This formation, called Pinnacle Rock, was created during a recent eruption. Everywhere we went you could sense that the islands were alive beneath your feet—still forming, still growing, still pristine. © WWF-US/Andrew Wiley
- The age of the islands was most evident while I walked across vast lava fields, places that are not yet old enough to have converted to soil. Many of my photos reflect the amazing ability of wildlife to adapt and thrive in this stark habitat. This lava lizard greeted us on our first hike, as if to say, “Welcome to our islands.” © WWF-US/Andrew Wiley
- Of course, when you hear about the Galápagos who comes to mind but Charles Darwin? His “Origin of Species” was the first published work about natural selection and featured observations from his time on the islands. He called marina iguanas “imps of darkness” as “they are as black as the porous rocks over which they crawl.” In reality these guys are pretty cool—although I was sad not to see them swimming. © WWF-US/Andrew Wiley
- These land iguanas are endemic to the Galápagos, as are 97% of the reptiles and land mammals found here. © WWF-US/Andrew Wiley
- Such little inference has occurred over the 500 years since humans discovered the islands that most species, like this flightless cormorant, are not afraid of humans. It is because of this that the National Park has established the “2 meter rule” to prevent these wild creatures from coming into contact with the tourists. © WWF-US/Andrew Wiley
- Perhaps the most colorful (and seemingly abundant) species on the islands are Sally Lightfoot crabs. We encountered them darting to and fro on nearly every shoreline we saw. © WWF-US/Andrew Wiley
- About half way through the trip I visited the Charles Darwin Research Station, which was established with support by WWF about 50 years ago. There they have a successful giant tortoise reintroduction program that breeds these amazing creatures for release into the wild. © WWF-US/Wayne Pederson
- Not a bad way to spend a week! This was the view from the boat on a particularly lovely morning. © WWF-US/Andrew Wiley
- There were so many more wildlife sightings to come, and this photo story could go on and on with Galápagos sea lions, fur seals, lava herons, Darwin’s finches and others, so I’m choosing to represent them all with these Galápagos penguins. We were told by Luis and Roberto not to expect many, if any, sightings of them. Amazingly, I think we saw them every day we were there—on the rocks and in the water. They were curious and playful, and quickly became our trip mascot. © WWF-US/Andrew Wiley
- No trip to the Galápagos would be complete without lots of amazing bird sightings. Genovesa Island is a bit more isolated than the main archipelago, so it is believed that it served as a stopover for ocean birds needing a break from long distance flight. This drove rapid colonization of the island, which is teeming with many different endemic species, like this brilliant red-chested Frigate bird. © WWF-US/Andrew Wiley
- Wildlife has evolved with little competition for resources. This Galápagos short-eared owl, for example, has no natural predators except the Galápagos hawk and is usually nocturnal. However, because there are no hawks on Genovesa Island, in this one place they are often active during the day. © WWF-US/Wayne Pederson
- Here is one of the thousands of beautiful Red Footed Boobies on Genovesa Island. Not as well known as their blue footed cousins, I loved the vibrant red feet—like he was ready for a night on the town with some very fancy shoes. © WWF-US/Andrew Wiley
- As the sun rose on our final day I pondered my week in this fragile wilderness. My visit gave me hope—if conservation planning can be applied in more landscapes around the world, as it has in the Galápagos, we can have more species thriving. If humans can just take the time to understand and value our natural world, we will be inspired to save it. © WWF-US/Andrew Wiley
- Our last hike was to North Seymour Island, famous for its Blue Footed Booby population. This fellow decided to strike a pose, and I was its obedient photographer! © WWF-US/Andrew Wiley
As the sun rose on our final day I pondered my week in this fragile wilderness. My visit gave me hope—if conservation planning can be applied in more landscapes around the world, as it has in the Galápagos, we can have more species thriving. If humans can just take the time to understand and value our natural world, we will be inspired to save it.
By Andrew Wiley, Manager, Partners in Conservation, WWF-US
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This article brought me back to the magical time I spent in The Galapagos! The Conservation is amazing there & I couldn’t agree more with your article.