Balancing People and Nature: Creating Galápagos SEPLS Through Research, Restoration & Education

Overview

The Galápagos Islands—the inspiration for Darwin’s theory of evolution and one of the planet’s most ecologically vital regions—depend on healthy SEPLS for long-term sustainability. Yet these systems face growing threats from urban expansion, overtourism, and a declining agricultural and fishing workforce. To address these challenges, a UO-USFQ collaboration proposes a community-centered project on San Cristóbal Island, developing strategies to integrate biodiversity protection into daily life. While San Cristóbal’s 8,000 residents live in scattered settlements, the island is famed for its rich biodiversity, including sea lions, marine iguanas, blue-footed boobies and giant tortoises, as well as dramatic volcanic landforms ranging from coast to highlands, and easy access to the Galapagos Marine Preserve. However, its fragile ecosystem struggles under the pressure of more than 300,000 annual visitors to this region.
Working with local NGOs and government partners and leveraging past experiences, this project will help communities adopt the SEPLS approach for open-space management and link the agri-food system with tourism. It focuses on four components: 1.GIS mapping of ecosystem services to identify SEPLS opportunities; 2. Ecological restoration through invasive species removal and native replanting; 3. Community programmes on conservation, local food production and traditional cooking; 4. Participatory planning to integrate these programmes into park spaces.
The project aims to foster lasting community stewardship of San Cristóbal’s unique biodiversity while promoting sustainable livelihoods. It will assess how these efforts influence community attitudes, governance and behaviour. Lessons learned will then be adapted for other inhabited islands in Galápagos—serving as a model for global conservation efforts.

• (1) SEPLS assessment
• (2) Change in community attitude and behaviour regarding SEPLS after participation in various activities
• (3) Community workshops on park design, system planning and management
• (4) Community education meetings on SEPLS and local species (esp. for youth)
• (5) Capacity building workshop to teach local professionals skills and knowledge on SEPLS approach to conservation and development
• (6) Community removal of invasive plants (workshop and implementation)
• (7) Community planting of native/endemic plants (workshop and implementation)
• (8) Training workshops on cultivating native produce and their use in cooking
• (9) Organise farmer's stands or markets in parks (city and rural town areas)