Evolving marine biosecurity in the Galapagos Islands

Abstract

Some of my co-authors and I have just returned from one of the paradises on earth and a natural history mecca – The Galapagos Islands, Ecuador. We participated in (MLC, CLH) or hosted (IK, TD, KC) the 1st Tropical Island Marine Bioinvasions Workshop convened at the Charles Darwin Research Station. From a terrestrial standpoint, the Ecuadorian government’s biosecurity for the most part is intelligent (but see Gardener et al. 2010), well organised and seems to be effective, with a number of publications detailing introduced terrestrial plant (e.g., Buddenhagen 2006; Jager and Kowarik 2010) and animal (e.g., Cruz et al. 2005; Carrion et al. 2011) eradications and impacts (e.g., Schofield 1989; Itow 2003; Renteria et al. 2012; Kueffer et al. 2010), invasion risks (e.g., Gottdenker et al. 2005), and ecosystem restoration, management and conservation (e.g., Gibbs et al. 1999; Causton et al. 2006). Yet, as with so many other systems, marine biosecurity lags behind (a quick review of the literature shows no marine introduction publications) and is consequently less well managed, but not for a lack of effort.