Subcommittee Chairman Baird Leads Bipartisan Delegation to Galapagos to Meet With Scientists
Washington, DC) –The House Science and Technology’s Subcommittee on Research and Science Education Chairman Brian Baird (D-WA) led a bipartisan Congressional Delegation to the Galapagos Islands to study climate change, invasive species, Management of Parks and Wilderness Areas, and Fisheries and Marine Reserve Management.
“When it comes to climate change, the Galapagos are the canary in the coalmine. Scientists believe the islands will experience early and extreme impacts of climate change,” said Baird. “The Islands have served as the world’s living laboratory since Charles Darwin based his theory of evolution on his work there.”
The Galapagos Islands isolation, small size and high diversity make them ideal for the study of climate change, invasive species management, impacts of tourism on park and wilderness area management, and fisheries and marine reserve management.
“It’s more than curiosity,” said Baird. “The National Science Foundation has a total of $21.7 million in active awards for research in or related to the Galapagos in a broad range of sciences, from geophysics to animal behavior. The House Committee on Science and Technology has oversight responsibilities for this agency. We need to understand their work to effectively conduct oversight and to legislate when necessary.”
The Members’ itinerary included:
- Meeting with the Galapagos National Park Acting Director to discuss: key management challenges and comparisons to U.S. sites; balancing conservation & economic development; effects of invasive species & control programs; and the impacts of climate change.
- A briefing at the Charles Darwin Research Station to learn about the Charles Darwin Foundation’s scientific and management missions, and the role of private and governmental support to their mission.
- Meeting with U.S. scientists from the University of Washington who are currently conducting research on grants from the National Science Foundation, over which the Committee has jurisdictional oversight.
- Observing water sampling and sediment coring to obtain climate records.
Below is more information about the four primary goals of the trip.
A Laboratory for Studying the Impacts of Climate Change
Committee Members had an opportunity to visit research sites and meet with scientists and representatives of the governments of our international partners in these scientific efforts. The unique nature of these sites, their isolation and the special efforts needed to support research in these areas require international cooperation and collaboration to achieve progress.
The Galapagos Islands experience El Niño events every 2 to 7 years. During El Niño years the environmental changes that take place are similar to the changes projected to occur in a warmer future. Rainfall patterns, local climate, ocean temperature, ocean currents, nutrient availability, and ocean productivity are all altered for the duration of the event. Studying the reactions of specific plants, animals, and ecosystems of the Galapagos provides an opportunity to better understand the adaptations to the conditions associated with these changes that are necessary to ensure species survival. For example, several of the iconic bird populations in the Galapagos are dependent upon fish populations experienced significant reductions in their populations due to starvation and breeding failures. The change in ocean currents cuts off the supply of nutrients to surface waters lowering productivity of plankton and fish and, ultimately, of the other populations that depend upon those fisheries. The concern is that with climate change, the conditions that prevail during El Nino events will extend for long periods or permanently and the species that do not fare well in these conditions will see permanent reductions in their populations or perhaps face extinction. The unique wildlife and long-term data sets available from the Galapagos allow scientists to monitor these shifts. Through this laboratory they hope to better understand the potential impacts that would be experienced in other locations as the climate changes.
Invasive Species
The Galapagos Islands are home to a great diversity of plants and animals that are found no where else on Earth. There are over 9000 species unique to these islands. When humans began to visit and inhabit the islands, they brought with them plants, animals, and microbial organisms that were previously non-existent on the islands. Some of these introductions were intentional, some not. In either case, some of these introductions caused populations of plants and animals of the Galapagos to be reduced or eliminated. Not all non-native species are invasive, and it is very difficult to predict the degree to which the introduction of a new species will be problematic.
Invasive species create ecological problems with significant economic impacts. An article in Scientific American in 1999 estimated the annual cost of introduced species of animals, plants, and microbes in the U.S. to be $123 billion. These costs include damage to environmentally or economically important native species and the costs of controlling or eradicating the invasive species. In the case of the Galapagos, the unique native animals and plants are the centerpiece for the islands’ economic base – tourism. Because the species on the Galapagos are so unique and the ecosystems evolved over many years in isolation, they are very sensitive to introduced species. Feral goats and pigs have caused serious damage on the islands. As part of an aggressive eradication effort, these species were completely removed from the islands of Isabela and Santiago.
The Charles Darwin Research Station played a key role in establishing the Galapagos Quarantine and Inspection System to help guard against further harmful introductions of non-native species. The Station works in conjunction with the Galapagos National Park Service and many international partners, including the U.S., to develop community education programs, eradication programs, quarantine and inspection programs, and inventories of invasive species. Some of the same species that are problems for the Galapagos are also problematic in other areas (e.g. fire ants). Similar techniques for eradication, control, and quarantine and inspection programs can be applied to make all programs to control invasive species more effective.
Management of Parks and Wilderness Areas
The tourists that visit the Galapagos Islands form the basis of economic support for the islands. However, their presence and the infrastructure and amenities required to accommodate them can damage the sensitive ecosystems, plants, and animals they are coming to the islands to observe. Designing a tourism industry that achieves the right balance of protection of the resource and access to the resource by tourists is a challenge that faces all areas earning income from ecotourism. This is a challenge for management of our national parks and wilderness areas also.
Fisheries and Marine Reserve Management
The oceans surrounding the Galapagos Islands are very productive and support a wide variety of marine organisms. In 1998, the Galapagos Marine Reserve was established, one of the largest marine reserves in the world. The Galapagos Islands are subject to the same competing needs for their fisheries and marine resources that are experienced in many other areas. The Charles Darwin Foundation and the Galapagos National Park Service brought fishermen and tour businesses together to develop a management plan for the marine organisms and ecosystems of Galapagos waters. The marine reserve is managed through this cooperative effort. The U.S. has recently established a large marine reserve in the waters off the Hawaiian Islands. Research in fisheries and marine ecosystem science and in the social sciences are important inputs to the development of sound management plans that are supported by all parties with an interest in the long term survival of these resources. The work of the Charles Darwin Foundation is partially supported by funds raised in the U.S.
While the Galapagos Islands are unique in many ways, the resource management challenges they face are similar to those in many other parts of the world. The unique environment of the Galapagos provides an opportunity for research and education that extends well beyond the Islands. The results of the international cooperative research conducted on the islands can help us to conserve this unique and special place and also to better manage the unique natural resources we have in the U.S.
For more information, please visit the Committee’s website at www.house.gov/science.
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