Galapagos Verde 2050. An opportunity to restore degraded ecosystems and promote sustainable agriculture in the Archipelago
- 2015
Invasive species constitute the greatest threat to terrestrial biodiversity in Galapagos (Gardener et al., 2010a, 2010b). Currently, there are about 900 species of introduced plants of which at least 131 are already invading natural areas of the Archipelago (Guezou & Trueman, 2009; Jaramillo et al., 2013). The humid zones of inhabited islands have the most degraded ecosystems, largely due to invasive species and agriculture (Gardener et al., 2010a; Renteria & Buddenhagen, 2006). Conservation and/or restoration of the integrity and resilience of ecosystems represent the most effective strategies for ensuring that Galapagos ecosystems continue to generate environmental services for society (DPNG, 2014). The Galapagos Verde 2050 project, a model of applied science on a regional scale, was designed with these conceptual principles in mind. It seeks to transform an altered socioecological system into a healthy and functional system.