Mission 2008

Team: Iguanas 3

Mission

Research

Contact

Mission 2008 has three main objectives which cover the broad spectrum of social, environmental, political, and economic interactions in the Galapagos Islands and the rest of the world:

1. To develop a new preservation strategy for the Galapagos that builds on the current management plan for the Galapags National Park and Galapagos marine Reserve by designing the two as a "World Scientific Preserve" that would be managed by an international commission and funded by a multinational trust.
2. To design and deploy a network of environmental sensors to support a comprehensive program of ecosystemmonitoring on the island and surrounding waters.
3. To design an idealized "vilage" for permanent residents and visitors that would ensure the lowest possible impact on island ecosystems.

These are team goals, however. Our group, Iguanas Three established specific outlines for achieving mini-goals on the way to fulfilling the main objectives:

1. Asses the situation within the Galapagos, taking into account the varying perspectives on conservation of the different groups within the islands
2. Contact organizations within the Galapagos, such as the Charles Darwin Research Station, to get input on current plans for the future of the Galapagos.
3. Maintain communication within our group and assign individual goals that will effectively contribute to the group's task.

I have further stratified my task into individual goals by which I determined:

1. Conduct research into the area of the environment with special concentration into the area of species diversity and into environmental sensor design.
2. Coollaborate with other members of my team and outside experts as to the best way to monitor the environment and establish a base for future expansion and data collection that is universally beneficial tothe scientific community at large.