UNC World View Symposium

Coupling Social, Terrestrial & Marine Sub-Systems in the Galapagos Islands through Integrative

Science Perspectives

Stephen J. Walsh

Lyle V. Jones Distinguished Professor of Geography

Director, UNC Center for Galapagos Studies & Galapagos Science Center

Fellow, Carolina Population Center

Fellow, Curriculum in Ecology & Environment

University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

http://www.swalsh.web.unc.edu; http://www.galapagos.unc.edu

Galapagos Islands, Ecuador

Darwin’s Arrival in the Galapagos

A 26-year old Darwin first caught sight of theGalapagos Islands on September 15, 1835. The HMSBeagle, Capt. FitzRoy, dropped anchor just north ofthe present day town of Puerto Baquerizo Moreno onthe island of San Cristobal.

Seeing every height crowned with its crater, and theboundaries of most of the lava-streams still distinct,“ we are led to believe that within a periodgeologically recent the unbroken ocean was herespread out.”

The black lava rocks on the beach are frequented bylarge (2-3 feet) most disgusting, clumsy lizards. “Theyare as black as the porous rocks over which they crawland seek their prey from the sea – somebody callsthem “imps of darkness.”

On the Origin of Species (1859)…

In 1859, Darwin ’ s On the Origin of Species brought acompletely new view of life on Earth – one of continuouschange; what we see today is a snapshot of the species thathave struggled and survived, chosen by the blind forces ofnature.

In a world of stable populations where each individual muststruggle to survive, those with the "best" characteristics will bemore likely to survive, and those desirable traits will be passedto their offspring. These advantageous characteristics areinherited by following generations, becoming dominant amongthe population through time. This is natural selection. It maybe further inferred that natural selection, if carried far enough,makes changes in a population, eventually leading to newspecies.

Adaptive Radiation

Evolutionary change and “radiation” is what made theGalapagos animals unique. Adaptive Radiation – the waya species, finding itself in an under-populated land ofopportunity, can sometimes adapt into available, unfilledniches.

These vacancies allowed the original ancestral finch tosplit into different species that probed for insects inwood, ate leaves, and specialized in cactus flowers.

Niche Space

Galapagos Islands in Crisis

Development of the tourism industry and a boom in fishingmore than tripled the local population in the past 15-years.

The number of tourists visiting the Islands has quadrupledover the same period and is now approximately 225,000 peryear (2015).

Over 30,000 residents.

A World Heritage Site “At Risk” (2007-2010): UNESCO &the Ecuadorian Government.

Invasive Species

Population Migration & Tourism

Economic Development vs. Resource Conservation

Trends of Tourists to the Galapagos

121.328

63.700

185.028

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Foreing National TotalTotal Tourists; International Tourists; National Tourists

Trend of Residents to the Galapagos

A joint initiative of

Universidad San Francisco de Quito & University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Carlos F. Mena & Stephen J. Walsh, Directors

Galapagos Science Center

Grand Challenges

Assess island ecosystems and resolve the social-ecologicalthreats to their sustainability.

Foster the health and well being of people, animals, andecosystems to better understand the complex interactionsbetween people and environment.

Promote stewardship and extend our knowledge of globalenvironmental change, social and evolutionary adaptation,and the dynamics of local places and global contexts tobenefit the Galapagos Islands, North Carolina, and theWorld.

Research Linked to the Grand Challenges

Human & Environmental Health: water & pathogens, nutrition & publichealth, ecosystem goods & services.

Conservation Biology & Evolutionary Biology: biodiversity & endemism,protected areas, evolutionary processes of adaptation & change.

Integrative Biology: animal behavior & physiology, movement ecology &connectivity, veterinary studies & wildlife health.

Marine Ecology & Oceanography: marine productivity, upwelling & islanddynamics, physical, chemical & biological oceanography.

Terrestrial Ecology: invasive species, eco-hydrology & water availability,food security & agricultural sustainability.

Global Environmental Change & Evolution: tourism & populationmigration, ENSO events & land use/land cover dynamics, speciesadaptation & change

Facility & Project Infrastructure

DNA Extraction & Sequencing: genomic sequencing process pipeline & HTSF

Galapagos Measurement Network: demographic surveillance system,acoustic tagging & habitat dynamics, meteorological stations & siteinstrumentation, marine base-line conditions & ENSO events.

Bio-specimen Banking & Custodial Services: Ministry of Environment &Galapagos National Park.

Citizen Scientist & Constructing Invaluable Data Sets: tourists, residents,guides, rangers, volunteer corps.

LTER & CZO Programs: Long-term data collection & analysis of change,trends & trajectories, e.g., econometric models, dynamic systems models,agent-based models.

Geospatial Data & Technologies: Remote sensing image processing,geographic information systems, fused ground to satellite systems.

Education & Outreach Activities

Summer & Semester Study Abroad

Professional Certificate (Global)

Graduate Certificate Program on Island Sustainability

Alumni Volunteer Corps

NC Public Schools & Museums

UNC Campus Courses, e.g., Geography 269

UNC Town Hall & Island Symposium Series

International Galapagos Science Consortium

Global Island Network

Campus Affinity Groups: RENCI, ODUM, IE, CPC, IMS

• Mangrove finches are now extinct on Fernandina Island, and on nearby Isabela Island, they are threatened by habitat destruction and invasive species, including:

• Cats

• Black rats

• Fire ants

• Fly larvae

• Only ~100 breeding pairs in the world

Human-Induced Threats: Finches

Productivity Sampling Strategy

CTD cast to 100m

Vertical phytoplankton net tow to base of euphotic zone

Niskin cast 1 (two deepest depths at 1% Ioand 10 % Io)

Niskin cast 2 (two shallow depths at 33% Io and 2m below surface)

Note: Io = Incident Irradiance or

the irradiance received at the

ocean surface.

Tourists to the Galapagos, Observed & Projected, 1979-2033

Stock-Flow Diagram of the Number of Yearly Tourist Arrivals & Resident

Populations

2012 2020 2033

Yearly number of tourists visiting Galapagos (tourists)

Moderate Growth

180,831

237,359 329,217

High Growth 332,399 894,288

Zero Growth 180,831 180,831

Resident (people)

Moderate Growth

25,136

31,369 41,499

High Growth 41,850 103,813

Zero Growth 27,718 32,493

Number of boat-based tourists on an average

day (tourists)

Moderate Growth

1,228

1,174 1,221

High Growth 1,655 3,376

Zero Growth 893 668

Number of land-based tourists on an average day

(tourists)

Moderate Growth

1,491

2,437 3,875

High Growth 3,407 10,490

Zero Growth 1,857 2,129

.

Dynamic Systems Model

Tourists arriving in Galapagos: boat-based and land-based tourists.

Boat-based tourists typically buy an all-inclusive cruise packageand spends the main part of their experience on-board a ship,generally consuming few urban facilities and services.

Land-based tourists do not typically buy an all-inclusive package;they rely almost completely on local products, services, and labor.

The numbers of domestic and foreign tourists are projectedseparately and subsequently separated in domestic boat-basedand land-based as well as foreign boat-based and land-based,resulting in four main typologies of tourists.

Tourism and Fishing

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sea cucumber

Declining Fisheries Trends

Labor Mobility Methods

167 Fishers (49 full-time, 57 part-time,12 occasional, 46 inactive) (Engie 2015)

84 Questions

Categories:

Occupational Portfolio & Changes

Physical & Financial Capital

Economic Security & Relative Poverty

Job Satisfaction & Preferences

Demographics, Human & Social

Capital

Open-Ended Interviews

Labor Mobility Methods

Fishing Strategies (N=167)

DiminishmentIntensification

n=49 n=58 n=12 n=46

Full-time(>=90% income)

Part-time(30-90% income)

Occasional(<=30% income)

Inactive

Complexity & Indeterminate Pathways

“…were the tape of evolution to be replayed, all would come out very differently; the process is indeterminate.”

- Levin 2005: 1077

“the capacity to self-organize and adapt does not necessarilyresult in sustainable or fair resource use systems”, which “…willdepend on the balance of power among stakeholders and theirappreciation for these issues.”

- Mahon et al. (2008: 106)

Environmental Change

Institutional Response

Complexity & the Galapagos Fisheries