The Galápagos

The Galapagos Marine Reserve is one of the largest and most biologically diverse in the world with a total area of 92,775 km². The Hermandad Marine Reserve adds another 60,000 km² to the protected area. This new extension will protect the Galapagos-Cocos corridor in which a large number of different species thrive. Great efforts are underway to understand and protect this truly unique marine environment.

A massive undertaking

The preservation of the Galapagos Marine Reserve is a massive undertaking. Researchers connected to various Non-Government Organizations (NGOs) collaborate with government funded initiatives to preserve the Galapagos Islands and their marine environment. 

Great challenges and opportunities

Although researchers, organizations and NGOs on Galapagos do an incredible job, the challenges are great and improvements are needed to facilitate coordination, collaboration and the sharing of knowledge. A major improvement for the whole scientific community would be to establish a multi-institutional Data & Knowledge Center where all types of research data can be stored and accessed as needed.

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