ISABELA – SIERRA NEGRA & CERRO AZUL VOLCANOS  • Confusion about genetics of southern Isabela tortoises Tortoise Conservation Plans • Survey planned focusing on distribution & genetics An Island-by-Island Summary • Problems with illegal poaching • Anti-poaching workshop and actions planned •  Tortoise Breeding and Rearing Center in Puerto Villamil PINTA • Pinta tortoise extinct (Lonesome George died in June 2012) • Goats eradicated in 2003 • Pinta hybrids found on Wolf Volcano in 2008  • 39 sterilized hybrids released on Pinta in 2010 • Breeding program using Pinta hybrids to begin in 2014  • Expected release of first juveniles in 2019/20  PINZÓN • Native population of ~100 tortoises GIANT TORTOISE  • More than 650 tortoises have been repatriated  RESTORATION INITIATIVE   • Natural reproduction of repatriates since 1990s • Rat eradication campaign in 2012 2014-2018 • Good outlook for tortoise population SAN CRISTÓBAL © Mary Traveland • Distribution of tortoises not well known ESPAÑOLA • Survey planned focusing on distribution & genetics or more than one million years, Giant Tortoises have played a natural and essential role as ecosystem • 15 native adults in tortoise center on Santa Cruz •  Tortoise Breeding and Rearing Center • Nearly 2,000 tortoises repatriated Fengineers in the Galapagos Islands, helping to shape the landscape for the islands’ other extraordinary SANTA CRUZ • Natural reproduction of repatriates began in early 1990s creatures and plantlife. As many as 200,000 Giant Tortoises once roamed the islands, but only 20,000 • Two populations: Tortoise Reserve and Cerro Fatal • Island survey conducted in 2010 (or just 10–20% of the original population) remain today. Their dramatic decline was mainly due to • Cerro Fatal population is very small — in rearing program • Tortoise-cactus-woody vegetation study planned • Migration studies being conducted overexploitation by whalers and, more recently, predation and habitat destruction from invasive species like FERNANDINA •  Tortoise Breeding and Rearing Center – many populations rats and goats. In addition to their crucial ecological role, Giant Tortoises also play an important economic • Fernandina tortoise extinct SANTA FE role as one of the Galapagos Islands’ greatest eco-tourism attractions. • Single Fernandina tortoise collected in 1906 • Santa Fe tortoise extinct for ~150 years • Search expedition planned – waiting for funding • ~7,000 land iguanas, ~170,000 adult Opuntia cacti IN BRIEF THE EXPERTS FLOREANA • Expected release of analog tortoise species soon • Floreana tortoise extinct since 1850s SANTIAGO Between 2014 and 2018, Galapagos Galapagos Conservancy’s Giant • Floreana hybrids found on Wolf Volcano in 2008 • Project Isabela eliminated goats, pigs, and donkeys Conservancy will invest more than Tortoise Restoration Initiative • Breeding program using Floreana hybrids to begin in 2014 • Vegetation recovering $1,000,000 in Giant Tortoise will require collaboration from • Expected release of first juveniles in 2019/20 • Tortoise population still skewed towards males conservation efforts in the Galapagos many experts: ISABELA – WOLF VOLCANO  Islands. These efforts seek to reverse • Monitoring of on-island reproduction needed A team of international giant • 2008 survey of more than 1,600 tortoises (DNA analysis) some of the damage caused by • May still need to be included in rearing center tortoise experts from universities, • 17 Pinta hybrids found (possibly 70–80 present) humans going back as far as the 16th zoos, and other institutions from • 84 Floreana hybrids found (possibly 250–280 present) century. around the world will collaborate in • Other non-Wolf hybrids – potentially 470–560 A few residents of the Giant Tortoises perform many critical Left: One of the Pinta tortoise hybrids found on Wolf Volcano the planning and execution of each • Series of hybrid recovery expeditions planned Tortoise Center on Santa (P. Pritchard). Right: A young tortoise raised at the tortoise roles in shaping healthy ecosystems, phase of the project. Cruz Island await their breeding center (B. Schoeberl). ISABELA – DARWIN VOLCANO  such as dispersing seeds of native next meal on the feeding The Galapagos National Park Service (GNPS) will • Tortoise population not well known platform. plants and creating open pathways where other animals and • Limited habitat because of extensive lava flows plants can thrive. By restoring Giant Tortoise populations provide the technical expertise and infrastructure needed to carry out the work. • To be included in the rearing center at Puerto Villamil The three Tortoise Breeding throughout the islands, ecosystems will return to a more ISABELA – ALCEDO VOLCANO  and Rearing Centers play balanced state as a result of the many beneficial actions of Galapagos Conservancy’s Science Advisor, Dr. a crucial role in helping • Project Isabela eliminated goats and donkeys in 2006 these apex herbivores. Linda Cayot, who has spent several decades working on tortoise populations behalf of Galapagos tortoise conservation, will continue to • Vegetation recovering and tortoise population is healthy rebound in Galapagos. On many of the Galapagos Islands, the recent eradication • Needs ongoing monitoring of vegetation recovery play a leading role in this work. After completing her PhD on © Leslie Lenny © Leslie of harmful introduced species (like goats and rats) that once posed serious threats to tortoises makes this long-term the ecology of the giant tortoises of Santa Cruz and Pinzón tortoise restoration project both timely and feasible. Islands, Linda supervised the tortoise breeding and rearing center (including the care of Lonesome George) and much GALAPAGOS CONSERVANCY Kicked off with a planning workshop in July 2012 and of the tortoise field work from 1988–1997. She played 11150 Fairfax Boulevard, Suite 408 w Fairfax, VA 22030 USA w [email protected] w www.galapagos.org building on decades of tortoise research and management, a major role in planning Project Pinta and organized the the first five years of the Giant Tortoise Restoration Initiative tortoise workshop in July 2012, at which the next 10 years Program Contact: DR. LINDA CAYOT, GC Science Advisor, [email protected] will focus on 8 distinct goals outlined on the following pages. of the Giant Tortoise Restoration Initiative were developed. TIMELINE OF TORTOISE RESTORING THE GIANT TORTOISE DYNASTY IN GALAPAGOS CONSERVATION HISTORY GALAPAGOS CONSERVANCY WILL INVEST $1,310,000 OVER 5 YEARS

The next 5 years in Galapagos tortoise Tortoise team staff Research on tortoise-cactus-woody plant conservation will build on decades of tortoise To ensure that the Giant Tortoise Restoration Initiative is interactions research and management investments made successful, a small team of competent researchers must be by Galapagos Conservancy and our partner A survey of tortoises, cactus, and woody plants was carried out established to oversee the effort and to coordinate all activities organizations in the Islands. Below are notable on Española in 2010, but a larger, archipelago-wide research with the GNPS and others. This will include a part-time events and accomplishments: project is needed to determine the interactions among these supervisory and planning position at GC (Dr. Linda Cayot) groups. Of particular importance is the status of cactus and the leader of the Initiative in Galapagos with a staff of two populations on different islands due to impacts of introduced 1965 – PRESENT assistants. The world-class tortoise breeding and repatriation program species. A critical resource for tortoises on the arid islands, Total funding needed: $550,000 cactus is a lynchpin for tortoise restoration. As the decades of the Galapagos National Park Service and the Charles $50,000 for 2014 and $125,000 per year for 2015 –2018 Darwin Foundation was established in 1965. Since then, go by and tortoise numbers increase to historical numbers more than 4,000 young tortoises have been repatriated to (100,000–200,000), we need to have a clearer understanding their islands of origin as a result of this program. Expeditions to Wolf Volcano of their relationship to their environment, the potential of the habitat to support large tortoise populations, and the Beginning in December 2013, GC will help support a series 1972 – 2012 importance of habitat management as a tortoise restoration tool. of expeditions over the next 3-5 years using genetic analysis © GNPS Lonesome George, the last Pinta to identify tortoises of high conservation value (tortoises with Park rangers mark tortoises on Wolf Volcano during a 2009 expedition. Island tortoise, was discovered and Total funding needed: $120,000 partial or pure Floreana and Pinta ancestry) and to initiate taken into captivity where he lived out $30,000 per year for four years beginning in 2014 breeding programs. These expeditions will include searches his life as a conservation icon at the Breeding program for Pinta and Floreana for personnel, field work, and data analysis in previously unexplored areas. During each expedition, tortoise center on Santa Cruz Island. tortoises potentially as many as 100 tortoises (known Pinta/Floreana He passed away in June 2012 at an Population surveys and advanced genetic tortoises, as well as un-sampled tortoises with similar Over the next few years the GNPS will require additional estimated 100 years old. Lonesome George sampling in Southern Isabela, San Early 1900s to 2012 morphology) will be transported by helicopter to a holding technical assistance to expand the tortoise breeding center on Cristóbal, and Santiago Islands 1997 – 2006 pen near the northern Isabela coast, where blood samples will Santa Cruz Island (and potentially other islands) to provide Project Isabela, the largest ecosystem restoration initiative be taken from all animals for DNA analysis at Yale University. adequate room for the new breeding populations of Pinta During the recent tortoise workshop (July 2012), Galapagos ever carried out in a protected area, successfully eliminated Tortoises to be transported off Wolf Volcano will remain in and Floreana tortoises. If all goes as planned, the first young National Park personnel and international experts identified introduced goats — one of the biggest threats to giant quarantine before being transported to other islands. Those tortoises will hatch in 2015 and the first repatriation will take several tortoise populations in which the genetic relationships tortoises — from northern Isabela, Santiago, and Pinta Islands. with sufficient Pinta and Floreana ancestry will be moved to the place in 2019 or 2020. among tortoises are not well understood. In some cases, certain tortoise breeding center on Santa Cruz Island. Total funding needed: $75,000 tortoise populations should be classified as two or more distinct 2008 – 2012 $25,000 per year for the next three years for technical species. There are also major gaps in knowledge regarding Genetic testing of more than 1,600 tortoises on Wolf Volcano Total funding needed: $150,000 assistance and to help support the expansion of the center(s) tortoise distribution. For example, much of the tortoise habitat identified tortoises with partial ancestry from Floreana (extinct $50,000/year for the next three years for personnel, on San Cristóbal Island has never been comprehensively on Floreana since the 1850s) and Pinta (considered extinct equipment, travel and field logistics surveyed. Tracking tortoise movements with cutting-edge GPS following the death of Lonesome George). Rapid increase in the number of adult tortoises on Pinta Island technology can help resolve some of these unknowns. 2009 – PRESENT Return Giant Tortoises to Santa Fe A number of advances have been made in the understanding The tortoise breeding program will eventually produce young Total funding needed: $120,000 of tortoise movement ecology and the technology to study it. It is well documented that tortoises once lived on Santa Fe, Floreana and Pinta tortoises for repatriation. However, with $30,000 per year for four years beginning in 2014 but, unfortunately, the species has been extinct for more the recent eradication of goats, Pinta Island is in urgent need for field trips and logistics 2010 than 150 years. While other populations have been of higher of additional adult tortoises to serve as ecological engineers Tortoises were returned to Pinta Island. 39 sterilized hybrid conservation priority to date, we must now focus on the overall to help in a more natural restoration of the plant community. Anti-poaching workshop and follow-up adult tortoises were released and are now thriving and restoration of Santa Fe, wich includes the return of tortoises. Expanding on the highly successful 2010 release of 39 sterilized Giant tortoises were a traditional part of the diet of settlers in exerting a significant ecological impact on the island. An analog species will be used in place of the original species. adult hybrid tortoises on Pinta, additional hybrid tortoises Galapagos. When the GNPS was established in 1959, efforts 2010 – 2011 Scientists are currently reviewing which species will best fill this (without Pinta or Floreana ancestry) collected on Wolf Volcano to curb the hunting of tortoises were generally successful. A major survey of tortoises, cacti, and woody vegetation was role. Careful monitoring of the return of tortoises on this island, will be sterilized and relocated to Pinta. These animals will act However, killing tortoises underwent a resurgence in the conducted on Española Island and a similar survey was done which is relatively pristine, could provide key information as “ecological management tools,” conditioning the habitat for 1990s and has become a serious concern on southern Isabela. on vegetation and land iguanas on Santa Fe. about how tortoises repopulate an island and their effects on the juvenile Pinta tortoises. The hybrid tortoises will be monitored A focused workshop, involving a small group of international ecosystem. to learn as much as possible before the release of juvenile Pinta experts and GNPS personnel, will be held to develop a series JULY 2012 Total funding needed: $75,000 tortoises in 2019/20. of strategies to combat the problem, including education, An international workshop, Giant Tortoise Recovery $25,000 per year for three years beginning in 2015 Total funding needed: $120,000 community outreach, and enforcement action. through Integrated Research and Management, was held in for field trips and monitoring $40,000/year for three years beginning in 2014 Galapagos. It resulted in the strategic and operational plans to for personnel, logistics, and monitoring Total funding needed: $100,000 guide the next decade of tortoise research and management. $25,000 per year for four years beginning in 2014