It was created in 1959, under the auspices of UNESCO and IUCN, the International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources (previously World Conservation Union); the Charles Darwin Foundation is dedicated to the conservation of the Galapagos ecosystems.
The CDF has seven main objectives towards these ends.
- To promote, facilitate, design, and implement the scientific investigation necessary for the understanding of biological principles, better understanding of ecosystems, and adequate management of the islands’ natural resources.
- To advise the Ecuadorian authorities on the subject of conservation and management of natural resources in the Galapagos Islands.
- To collaborate with Ecuadorian institutions on the implementation of programs involved in scientific investigation and education on the islands.
- To contribute to the development of scientific and technical personnel from Ecuador who are specialized in natural sciences and natural resource management.
- To contribute and collaborate on educational programs related to the conservation of the islands.
- To compile the results of the scientific investigations and the other activities of the organization and to disseminate this information regionally, nationally, and internationally.
- To watch over and provide for the successful functioning of the Charles Darwin Research Station with the goal of accomplishing the objectives of the Foundation.
The Foundation operates the Charles Darwin Research Station in the Galapagos Islands to conduct scientific research and environmental education for conservation. The Station has a team of over one hundred scientists, educators, volunteers, research students and support staff from all over the world.
The Research Station conducts investigation for Galapagos conservation focusing in two major areas: the Terrestrial Conservation and the Marine Conservation.
The main topic in the terrestrial conservation is the management of invasive species and how to restore the native biodiversity and ecosystems.A scientific research of the physical environment and the numerous species, native and introduced, must be conducted in order to develop effective methods of control, and prevention.For the Marine Conservation, the effects of human extraction upon the resources must be studied to help develop sustainable management of the Marine Reserve. To accomplish the goals of preservation it’s necessary forthe participation of the society as a complement of the environmental education.
Major programs of the CDRS include:
- Research for the protection of native animals
- Research for the control of introduced animals
- Terrestrial Plants
- Invertebrates
- Marine Research
- Monitoring
- Natural Resource Management
- Environmental Education and Interpretation
- Visiting Scientist Program
- Public Relations and Outreach
- Ecuadorian Student Training Program
- Technical Support: Publications, Library, ComputerCenter, Cartography, and Statistics
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