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Sustainable development is a process to improve the quality of life
of people, while maintaining the ability of social–ecological
systems to continue to provide valuable ecological services that
social systems require. In the Galapagos Islands, the maintenance
of amenity resources to support tourism and the quality of life of
residents is explicitly linked to ecosystem goods and services,
particularly, the accessibility to high-quality natural
environments and the terrestrial and marine visitation sites that
showcase iconic species. On June 26-30, 2022, the Galapagos Science
Center celebrated its 10-Year Anniversary. As the crowning event of
the anniversary celebration, the World Summit on Island
Sustainability was held on San Cristobal Island, Galapagos
Archipelago of Ecuador. The intent of the World Summit was to bring
together leading experts on island ecosystems and, particularly, on
island sustainability from across the globe to represent a
diversity of perspectives, approaches, and stakeholder groups. The
World Summit was an exclusive event that featured an “expert
convening” of scholars and practitioners to address the social,
terrestrial, and marine sub-systems of the Galapagos Islands and
other similarly challenged island ecosystems from around the globe.
The World Summit attracted 150 scientists to the Galapagos Islands
to discuss projects conducted, for instance, in the Galapagos
Islands, Hawaii, Guam, French Polynesia, Chile, Australia, and the
Caribbean Islands. Island vulnerability, resilience, and
sustainability were examined by scholars, for instance, from the
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Universidad San
Francisco de Quito, Catholic University of Chile, University of
Guam, James Cook University, University of the Sunshine Coast,
North Carolina State University, North Carolina Museum of Natural
Sciences, California Academy of Sciences, University of San
Francisco, and the University of South Alabama as well as
affiliated scientists from Exeter University, University of
Edinburgh, University of Southampton, and the Galapagos National
Park. The World Summit also included scholars from Re:wild,
World Wildlife Fund, EarthEcho, and the East-West Center, Hawaii.
This book investigates the introduction of invasive species and
their behavior in oceanic islands. How can we define invasive
species? What is their history? How did they come to dominate and
transform ecosystems? These are relevant questions when trying to
understand the behavior of invasive species-primarily in fragile
ecosystems such as islands-and to understand the biological,
ecological, social and economic impacts of invasions. We chose the
Galapagos Islands, a place well-known to be unique in the study of
evolution, as a laboratory to analyze the interactions between
invasive and endemic species, to understand the makeup of the
ecosystems emerging after invasions have occurred, to describe the
relationships of invasives with the people that live in these
islands, and to try to develop comprehensive analyses on this topic
from multi-scalar and multi-disciplinary points of view. For a long
time, the discussion has been about how proper management of the
species could achieve two main goals: the eradication of the
species to recover affected ecosystems and the conservation of
endemic species. The discussion has taken on other nuances,
including the suggestion that an invasive species, when it is
already adapted to an ecosystem, forms an integral part of it, and
thus eradication would in itself go against conservation. On the
other hand, some invasive species are not only part of the
biological compound of the island ecosystems, but they also form
part of the social and cultural history of the inhabited islands.
Some of these identified by the local inhabitants are species of
real or potential economic value.
This book investigates the introduction of invasive species and
their behavior in oceanic islands. How can we define invasive
species? What is their history? How did they come to dominate and
transform ecosystems? These are relevant questions when trying to
understand the behavior of invasive species-primarily in fragile
ecosystems such as islands-and to understand the biological,
ecological, social and economic impacts of invasions. We chose the
Galapagos Islands, a place well-known to be unique in the study of
evolution, as a laboratory to analyze the interactions between
invasive and endemic species, to understand the makeup of the
ecosystems emerging after invasions have occurred, to describe the
relationships of invasives with the people that live in these
islands, and to try to develop comprehensive analyses on this topic
from multi-scalar and multi-disciplinary points of view. For a long
time, the discussion has been about how proper management of the
species could achieve two main goals: the eradication of the
species to recover affected ecosystems and the conservation of
endemic species. The discussion has taken on other nuances,
including the suggestion that an invasive species, when it is
already adapted to an ecosystem, forms an integral part of it, and
thus eradication would in itself go against conservation. On the
other hand, some invasive species are not only part of the
biological compound of the island ecosystems, but they also form
part of the social and cultural history of the inhabited islands.
Some of these identified by the local inhabitants are species of
real or potential economic value.
In this launch of the Galapagos series, this book provides a broad
"framing" assessment of the current status of social and ecological
systems in the Galapagos Islands, and the feedback that explicitly
links people to the environment. It also highlights the challenges
to conservation imposed by tourism in the Galapagos Islands and the
attendant migration of people from mainland Ecuador to service the
burgeoning tourism industry. Further, there is an emphasize on the
status of the terrestrial and marine environments that form the
very foundation of the deep attraction to the Islands by tourists,
residents, scholars, and conservationists.
In this launch of the Galapagos series, this book provides a broad
"framing" assessment of the current status of social and ecological
systems in the Galapagos Islands, and the feedback that explicitly
links people to the environment. It also highlights the challenges
to conservation imposed by tourism in the Galapagos Islands and the
attendant migration of people from mainland Ecuador to service the
burgeoning tourism industry. Further, there is an emphasize on the
status of the terrestrial and marine environments that form the
very foundation of the deep attraction to the Islands by tourists,
residents, scholars, and conservationists.
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