The Galapagos Islands

Individual Web Page by Peter Mulligan
Las Tortugas Team 5: Espanola and Floreana
Las Tortugas Biopreserve Group: Mission 2008 Assignment #1
Web Page Last Updated 11/11/04

Part 1: Goals
Part 2: Personal Research Journal
Part 3: Individual Research Log
Part 4: Research Citations
Part 5: Ideas and Directions

Part 1: Goals

    Individual:

                               1. Meet the Team and Section goals as best as possible.

                               2. Commit fully to this complex research project and benefit from the experience of facing tough challenges and working in a team to
                               accomplish a long-term solution.

                               3. Learn how to make a website.

                               4. Always keep in mind the ultimate goals as posted on this website.

    Team Goals:   Las Tortugas Team 5

                               1. Meet the deadlines of a prototype website by October 1 and the team website by November 1

                               2. Provide sufficient information about our islands to the section, in order for each section to address the 3 goals set out for the course.

                               3. Each member of the team should do all the work delegated to them as best as possible. If something comes up, they should warn the others                                in advance and admit they need help. The others should be willing to pick up the slack if there is good reason.

                               4. Provide proper documentation for all research used.

                               5. Each person should become specialized in their topic of research on our islands.

                               6. Show resepct for others (on the team, section, etc.)

    Section Goals: The Three Assignments of Mission 2008

                               1. To develop a new preservation strategy for the Galapagos that builds on the current management plan for the Galapagos National Park and                                the Galapagos Marine Preserve by designating the two as a "World Scientific Preserve" that would be managed by an international coalition and                                funded by a multinational trust.

                               2. To design and deploy a network of environmental sensors to support a comprehensive system of ecosystem monitoring on the islands and                                    surrounding waters.

                               3. To design an idealized "village" for permanent residents and visitors that would ensure hte lowest possible human impact on the island                                            ecosystems.

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Part 2: Personal Journal

Date	Personal Log
09/08/04	First Mission 2008 Meeting: Defining Section Goals
09/16/04	My first experience in creating a website. Used Athena Composer to put up a prototype online
09/17/04	First team meeting: Definition of an A, set up general research guidelines. My topic: Control of Introduced Species
09/20/04	Defining specific topics of research. My topic: Fishing and Marine Life
09/24/04	Downloaded Netscape and now using Netscape Composer to update and setup my website
10/08/04	Realized I need to learn how to properly cite Websites. I should learn soon.
10/11/04	Meeting with Alumni Mentors
10/12/04	Finally Posting Research on website. My personal gripe about the class is that it favors future course 6s too much.
10/24/04	Basic Research Outline on Fishing Completed
10/31/04	Learned how to cite and did so properly I hope
11/5/04	Decided to join the Biopreserve Group
11/8/04	Taking on the UN and Unesco research front
11/11/04	Opening up a new section on my website: Ideas and Directions

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Part 3: Individual Research Journal

Week of:	Subject(s) Researched	Number of Sources
9/13/04	Galapagos Islands; Control of Introduced Species	3
9/20/04	Fishing (general)	3
9/27/04	Marine Environment, Aquatic Pollution, Environmental Quality	10 + 1
10/4/04	Current Fishing Events and Historical Background to the Fishing Conflict	8
10/11/04	Marine Populations and the Marine Reserve	6
10/18/04	Monitoring Techniques and Design Ideas	6
10/25/04	---Tying up loose ends and looking at new directions----	2

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I. Week of September 13, 2004

A-1
A. Floreana Island
          -This island is also called Charles or Santa Maria.
            -Post Office Bay is a tourist attraction
            -Punta Cormorant has a greenish beach due to crystal mineral. Sea lions, Green turtles, Stingrays, and white-tipped sharks abound. It is also a tourist site.
            -Devil’s Crown is an important marine site that is a half-submerged volcanic cone.
            -Major settlement of Puerto Velasco (700 people- 1990 estimates)

B. Espanola Island
            -This island is also called Hood.
            -It has a high portion of native fauna and the only colony of waved albatross as well as some blue-footed boobies and various species of iguana.
            -Punta Suarez and Gardner Bay are the best tourist sites.

C. General Galapagos Information
          -It occupies 45000 sq km of ocean and 7882 sq km of land.
            -June-December is the cool, cloudy and dry season, whereas December-June is the rainy, warm, and sunny season.
A-2
            -The Galapagos was the first place nominated as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1979.
            -It has a Biosphere Reserve, Whale Sanctuary, and Marine Reserve.

II. Week of September 20, 2004

B-1
A. Fishing Threats
            1. Galapagos Marine Resources Reserve (GMMR) – Management Plan
                        a) Never been implemented for the most part
                        b) Clauses: establish special protection zones, tourism zoning, and other zones
                                    -No export fisheries
            2. Three main fishing threats:
                        a) Illegal foreign fishing (mostly Asiatic)- large vessels mainly in the pelagic zones
                                    -Often inside GMRR
                        b) Modern Ecuadorian mainland ships and some foreign ships with Ecuadorian permission
                                    -Pelagic zone and coastal fishing… legal but how much do they obey the rules
                        c) Growing interest from mainland Ecuador to sell products on the international market
                                    -Immigration and use of local fisherman as labor
                                    -Local fisherman are abandoning traditional methods for these short-term, rapid profit opportunities
                                    -Cause an influx of poor mainland fisherman


III. Week of September 27, 2004

C-1
A. Sperm Whale Populations
            1. Females have a lower rate of conception with warmer sea temperatures
            2. As global warming becomes more serious, could increase El Nino occurrences.
            3. Population around Galapagos already constrained
C-2
B. Coral Reefs
            1. Seriously threatened by bioerosion
            2. Coral recruitment rates need to increase or else coral reefs may be eliminated entirely
C-10
            3. Sea Surface Temperature Anomalies
                        a) extreme temperatures, like during El Nino years, causes coral bleaching
                      b) Also rapid salinity, sea level, and sediment changes
                        c) Coral bleaching involves a decrease in zooxanthellae density
                                -Also a decrease in pigment concentration
                      d) Indicates major stresses and changes in the marine environment
C-3
C. Misuse of Seas
            1. New approaches, exploding population, changing laws
C-4
D. History and Background
            1. Native Population- about 14000 (1995)
                        a) Beseiging scientific research stations
                                    - For example, a 2 week siege that ended 9/16/95 that brought concessions allowing only natives to be new tour guides
                        b) Major immigration recently
                                    - attracted by tourism dollars at first
                                    - now lucrative fishing market attracts many including natives away from sustenance fishing
            2. Fishing
                        a) Sea cucumbers- echinoderm found on the seabed
                                    - Massive migration in early 1990s to fish for sea cucumbers
                                    - most intense fishing in Bolivar Channel between Isabela and Fernandina
                                    - in 1992, government attempted to ban fishing it because of encroachment on the rules of the GMRR
                                    - islanders responded by barricading research station Puerto Ayora and hacking 86 giant tortoises to death on live camera
                        b) Govt attempted a “sustainable” fishery with a maximum harvest of 550000 sea cucumbers for 3 months
                                    - resulted in a harvest of 7 million sea cucumbers in a few weeks
                                    - Many of the fisherman were without permits
                                    - often landed on uninhabited islands and introduced goats and chickens and cut down trees before seling their catch to offshore Japanese                                             and Korean ships

IV. Week of October 4, 2004

WORKING ON TEAM WEBSITE AND WRAPPING UP RESEARCH

V. Week of October 11, 2004

WORKING ON TEAM WEBSITE AND WRAPPING UP RESEARCH

VI. Week of October 18, 2004

WORKING ON TEAM WEBSITE AND WRAPPING UP RESEARCH

VII. Week of October 25, 2004

Completed Basic Research Outline

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Part 4: Research Citations

Week of September 13, 2004- Group A

1. www.galapagos-islands.com
2. www.galapagos.org
3. http://www.gct.org/sep03_1.html

Week of September 20, 2004- Group B

1. http://www.pbs.org/safarchive/galapagos.html
2. http://www.law.emory.edu/PI/GALAPAGOS/EnvironmentalFrameset.html
3. http://www.unep-wcmc.org/sites/wh/galapago.html

Week of September 27, 2004- Group C

Week of October 4, 2004- Week of October 25, 2004- See Completed Basic Research Link

Part 5: Ideas and Directions

Introduction- This area will contain all the new updates and information since November the 1st. It will include my random thoughts and ideas as well as research.

On the Nature of the Biopreserve

see- Biopreserve Work