GALAPAGOS REPORT 2013 - 2014 GALAPAGOS REPORT 2013 - 2014 GALAPAGOS REPORT 2013 - 2014 Prepared by Funded by General Coordination Linda J. Cayot, Galapagos Conservancy Editing Linda J. Cayot Desirée Cruz Richard Knab, Galapagos Conservancy Translation Spanish to English: Linda Cayot English to Spanish: Desirée Cruz Figures and Graphic Design María Fabiola Álvarez Photographs Front cover: © Cesar Peñaherrera Back cover: © Xavier Garcia - Nature Photographer Printing Imprenta Monsalve Moreno ISBN 978-9942-8571-1-8 How to cite this document GNPD, GCREG, CDF, and GC. 2015. Galapagos Report 2013-2014. Puerto Ayora, Galapagos, Ecuador. How to cite an article Author(s). 2015. Article title. Pp. xx-xx. In: Galapagos Report 2013-2014. GNPD, GCREG, CDF and GC. Puerto Ayora, Galapagos, Ecuador. Sources must be cited in all cases. Sections of the publication may be translated and reproduced without permission as long as the source is cited. The authors of each article are responsible for the contents and opinions expressed. The Galapagos National Park Directorate has its headquarters in Puerto Ayora, Santa Cruz Island, Galapagos and is the Ecuadorian governmental institution responsible for the administration and management of the protected areas of Galapagos. The Governing Council of Galapagos has its headquarters in Puerto Baquerizo Moreno, San Cristóbal Island, and is the Ecuadorian governmental institution responsible for planning and the administration of the province. The Charles Darwin Foundation, an international non-profit organization registered in Belgium, operates the Charles Darwin Research Station in Puerto Ayora, Santa Cruz Island, Galapagos. Galapagos Conservancy, based in Fairfax, Virginia USA, is the only US non-profit organization focused exclusively on the long-term protection of the Galapagos Archipelago. 4 FOREWORD Photo title page Foreword: © Fabiola Alvarez FOREWORD The Ministry of the Environment through the Galapagos National Park Directorate, the Governing Council of Galapagos, the Charles Darwin Foundation, and Galapagos Conservancy are pleased to present the 2013-2014 Galapagos Report. Since 1997, this compendium has been published and shared with decision-makers, opinion leaders, local residents, the Ecuadorian public, public institutions in Galapagos, and the international community. Its contents have stimulated public debate and made it possible to explore more deeply the complex and dynamic socioecological system of Galapagos. We hope that once again the analyses provided in this year’s Galapagos Report will continue to serve to guide public policy and the conservation of the Archipelago. In this edition of the Galapagos Report, several experts explore the topic of managing the protected areas under the overarching concept of Buen Vivir or Good Living, highlighting the capacity of the ecosystem to generate services for society. They identify new and innovative management tools that can be used in conjunction with other planning methods to develop a land use plan that addresses all of the social and environmental characteristics of the Islands. Other pressing topics addressed include the use and impact of pesticides, water supply and demand, and new opportunities for implementing sustainable or “bio” agriculture. Significant attention is also given to the marine environment through an examination of the emerging issue of marine invasive species in the Galapagos Marine Reserve. These analyses are provided by a broad network of authors that includes many who live and work in the archipelago, as well as others from a variety of institutions outside the Islands who help to examine Galapagos from a different perspective. The deep knowledge of the authors and their concern for the well-being of these islands is evident in the breadth and depth of the analyses. Although there is never sufficient space to produce a document covering all of the critical issues related to the Islands, this volume includes a set of important articles intended to catalyze action and decision-making by bringing priority issues to the forefront of debate and analysis. Our institutions remain committed to working in coordination with all Galapagos stakeholders to ensure the long- term sustainability of this extraordinary natural treasure. 7 FOREWORD 05 NEW APPROACHES THE MANAGEMENT PLAN FOR THE PROTECTED AREAS OF GALAPAGOS FOR GOOD LIVING: AN INNOVATIVE TOOL THAT CONTRIBUTES TO THE INTEGRATED MANAGEMENT OF THE ARCHIPELAGO Mónica Calvopiña, Sandra Chamorro, Eliecer Cruz, Washington Tapia and Arturo Izurieta 13 MONITORING THE GALAPAGOS ECOSYSTEM: A TOOL FOR DECISION-MAKING James P. Gibbs 18 HUMAN SYSTEMS BIOAGRICULTURE: AN OPPORTUNITY FOR ISLAND GOOD LIVING Juan Carlos Guzmán and José Enrique Poma 25 AGRICULTURAL USE OF PESTICIDES ON SANTA CRUZ Megan O’Connor and Noemi d’Ozouville 30 MAINTAINING THE ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY OF GALAPAGOS: A COMMITMENT OF ALL Jorge Carrión-Tacuri, Luis Mora Andrade and Daniel Lara Solís 35 MONITORING ENVIRONMENTAL INDICATORS ON ISABELA ISLAND TO PREVENT AND REDUCE POLLUTION Maximilian Martin, Ulf Haerdter, Hannes Poehlmann and Alejandra Valdés 40 WATER SUPPLY ASSESSMENT ON SANTA CRUZ ISLAND: A TECHNICAL OVERVIEW OF PROVISION AND ESTIMATION OF WATER DEMAND Maria Fernanda Reyes, Nemanja Trifunović, Saroj Sharma and Maria Kennedy 46 EVIDENCE OF CULTURAL PATTERNS FOR SUSTAINABILITY IN GALAPAGOS SOCIETY Enrique Ramos Chalen 54 EDUCATION FOR SUSTAINABILITY IN GALAPAGOS: A PUBLIC-PRIVATE PARTNERSHIP FOR STRENGTHENING EDUCATION IN THE ISLANDS Diego Román, María Cristina Cortez, Nick Cabot and Susan Huss-Lederman 60 ECOHELIX: WORKING TOWARD A SMARTER, MORE SUSTAINABLE GALAPAGOS David Lansdale , Patricio Álvarez , María José Ayala, Juan Carlos Izurieta and Ana Fernanda Terranova 67 MARINE MANAGEMENT HOW DO USERS OF THE GALAPAGOS MARINE RESERVE IMAGINE IT? María José Barragán P. 77 MARINE INVASIVE SPECIES IN THE GALAPAGOS MARINE RESERVE: A CASE FOR ADDITIONAL RESEARCH, IMPROVED MANAGEMENT, AND POLICY REVIEW Inti Keith, Terence Dawson, Ken Collins and Stuart Banks 83 MARINE WILDLIFE HEALTH SURVEILLANCE IN THE GALAPAGOS ISLANDS: FIRST YEAR RESULTS OF THE RAPID RESPONSE NETWORK Carolina García-Parra and Washington Tapia 89 EVALUATION OF THE INCIDENCE OF BOATS IMPACTING GREEN TURTLES (CHELONIA MYDAS) ALONG THE SOUTHERN COAST OF ISABELA, GALAPAGOS Macarena Parra, Jesús Jiménez and Verónica Toral 95 9 NURSERY GROUNDS OF BLACKTIP SHARKS (CARCHARHINUS LIMBATUS) IN MANGROVE-FRINGED BAYS IN THE CENTRAL PART OF THE GALAPAGOS ARCHIPELAGO Yasmania Llerena, César Peñaherrera, Eduardo Espinoza, Maximilian Hirschfeld, Matthias Wolff and Luis Vinueza 103 ANALYSIS OF THE PERCEPTION OF POPULATION TRENDS FOR SIX SHARK SPECIES IN THE GALAPAGOS MARINE RESERVE César Peñaherrera-Palma, Yasmania Llerena, Eduardo Espinoza and Jayson Semmens 111 EVALUATION OF THE HIGH SEAS FISHERY OF PELAGIC FISHES IN THE GALAPAGOS MARINE RESERVE Jorge Ramírez and Harry Reyes 118 SETTLEMENT HABITAT AND SEASONAL RELATIVE ABUNDANCE OF SPINY LOBSTER PANULIRUS SP. LARVAE AND ACCOMPANYING FAUNA IN THE GALAPAGOS MARINE RESERVE Eduardo Espinoza, Sandra Masaquiza and Jerson Moreno 125 BIODIVERSITY AND ECOSYSTEM RESTORATION GALAPAGOS VERDE 2050: AN OPPORTUNITY TO RESTORE DEGRADED ECOSYSTEMS AND PROMOTE SUSTAINABLE AGRICULTURE IN THE ARCHIPELAGO Patricia Jaramillo, Swen Lorenz, Gabriela Ortiz, Pablo Cueva, Estalin Jiménez, Jaime Ortiz, Danny Rueda, Max Freire, James Gibbs and Washington Tapia 133 MIGRATION BY GALAPAGOS GIANT TORTOISES REQUIRES LANDSCAPE-SCALE CONSERVATION EFFORTS Stephen Blake, Charles B. Yackulic, Martin Wikelski, Washington Tapia, James P. Gibbs, Sharon Deem, Fredy Villamar and Fredy Cabrera 144 CONSERVING THE CRITICALLY ENDANGERED MANGROVE FINCH: HEAD-STARTING TO INCREASE POPULATION SIZE Francesca Cunninghame, Richard Switzer, Beau Parks, Glyn Young, Ana Carrión, Paul Medranda and Christian Sevilla 151 CHRONIC LACK OF BREEDING BY GALAPAGOS BLUE-FOOTED BOOBIES AND ASSOCIATED POPULATION DECLINE David J. Anderson, Kathryn P. Huyvaert and David Anchundia 158 10 NEW APPROACHES Photo title page New Approaches: © Monica Calvopiña GALAPAGOS REPORT 2013 - 2014 The Management Plan for the Protected Areas of Galapagos for Good Living: An innovative tool that contributes to the integrated management of the Archipelago Photo: © Cesar Peñaherrera Mónica Calvopiña¹, Sandra Chamorro¹, Eliecer Cruz¹, Washington Tapia² and Arturo Izurieta² ¹WWF Ecuador, ²Galapagos National Park Directorate The Management Plan for the Protected Areas of Galapagos for Good Living is a new planning instrument developed between 2011 and 2013, approved by the Ministry of the Environment, and published in July 2014. The plan is presented as an innovative management tool that solidifies the recognition of Galapagos as a socioecosystem, where successful conservation requires integrated management of the protected areas with the populated zones (rural and urban). This includes acknowledging the capacity of ecosystems and their biodiversity to generate services, and contributing to the recovery of those components that have been altered primarily by anthropogenic causes (invasive species, contaminated aquifers, habitat degradation and fragmentation, among others), in ways that guarantee a sustainable human presence and quality of life or good living. The Management Plan is based on a shared vision: the Galapagos province achieves good living for the human community by preserving terrestrial and marine ecosystems and their biodiversity through a regional model that integrates protected areas