Week10 The Solutions

Hello, everyone. This is the last week.

In this week, I will talk about the solutions of problems in the Galapagos Islands.I said that there were an overhunting problem in fishing, a problem of the alien species which threatens unique animals and plants and a waste problem in the Galapagos Islands last week. In addition, various problems exist in the Galapagos Islands. The Galapagos Islands escaped from World Heritage in Danger, but There are also many unsolved problems. Then, what should people of the Galapagos Islands, the Ecuador people and people of the foreign countries do in order to solve those problems?


First, I consider that people of the Galapagos Islands must do. There are many people who have emigrated in connection with the sightseeing boom to the Galapagos Islands for the tourist industry. Therefore, much garbage from all the commercial establishment of an island came to be discharged. Environmental pollution has not still stopped. If they love the Galapagos Islands and want to do business for a long time in Galapagos from now on, they should make an effort to reduce garbage. Moreover, also when acting as a tourist's partner, about garbage, they should make it severe. Moreover, also when acting as a tourist's partner, they should make it severe about garbage.


Second, I will talk about The Ecuador government which has to try hard most, in order to keep the nature of Galapagos. For Ecuador in which single plantations, such as coffee, are main means to obtain the foreign currency, the tourist industry of Galapagos is very attractive. Therefore, though the Galapagos Islands cannot accept many tourists, Ecuador had invited the tourist rapidly. The problem of a lot of garbage has occurred as a result. Now, the Ecuador government has to establish disposal centers. Moreover, although the tourist industry is very attractive, they should consider the future and the tourist's quantity should be reduced.


Third, what should foreign people just take care? Galapagos is a very attractive tourist resort. Therefore, we should protect the beautiful Galapagos. The foreign company overhunted marine resources such as a sea cucumber. The fishing season and the landing quantity of the sea cucumber in the Galapagos Islands were restricted in 1994, but there are many poachers. We all must have the consciousness which keeps nature.


Last, I will introduce the Charles Darwin Foundation and the Galapagos National Park. They undertake the large role in order to keep the nature of Galapagos. The Charles Darwin Foundation educates the children of the Galapagos Island and it is protecting endangered species. The Galapagos National Park is an organization of Ecuador. It surveillants the national park and the marine sanctuary, and educates the guide and has given qualification and so on. Moreover, their activity increases whenever　a problem occurs in the Galapagos Islands.


The preservation activities of Galapagos are various. The problems become more difficult every year. Moreover, cooperation of international society is indispensable by the economic crisis of Ecuador.


That’s all in this term.
Thank you for your reading.
Take care of yourself. See you.

Week9 The Problems

Hello, everyone.
In this week, I will talk about the problems in the Galapagos Islands.
The Galapagos Islands have very difficult environmental problems. Most of them are by human beings.

First, I will talk about the problems about the superfluous fish catch and the illegal fishing.
Overhunting of the sea cucumber in the ocean space of the Galapagos Islands coast became a problem at the middle of the 1990s.
Moreover, the social dispute involving this problem also became a problem.
At this time, Asian contractors came to get the dry sea cucumber for ingredients in Chinese cooking.
Therefore, a lot of sea cucumber fisheries came to be performed in Galapagos.
Not only the influence on the ecosystem by overhunting of a sea cucumber but also many mangroves which was used as fuel those days was cut down to dry the sea cucumber.
The fishing season and the landing quantity of the sea cucumber in the Galapagos Islands were restricted in 1994. However, a fisherman opposes and they cause a riot.
The large-scale industrial fishing by overseas capital etc. has been a problem.
Therefore, local fishermen's dissatisfaction has collected. Now, this overhunting and the poaching of sea cucumber still continue.

Second, I will talk about the problems with the increase in population and tourists.
But in 1535 that Galapagos was discovered by Spanish people, it was after the 19th century that migration of human beings started completely.
However, this migration activity went wrong in many cases and people hardly lived in the Galapagos Islands at the middle of the 20th century. It had a population of 1346 in 1950.
However, after that, population increased quickly, and it become 6119 persons in 1982, 9785 persons in 1990 and 16109 persons in 1998.
This rapid cause of an increase in population is because the Galapagos Islands came to attract attention as a tourist resort and, as a result, the migrants from the Ecuador mainland increased in number for the tourist industry.
However, the forest was cut down for a migrant's house and environmental destruction was performed. Moreover, the car which a tourist drives may hit and kill an iguana.

Finally, there is garbage problem in the Galapagos Islands.
Although the rapid increase in population happened in the Galapagos Islands, the society's infrastructure was not fixed enough. Having appeared notably as the evil was a garbage problem.
The poor waste treatment facility was not able to process the garbage increased by the increased population. Moreover, in order to process forcibly, burn off a field of garbage was performed. Countermeasures against dioxin are not performed in that case. Galapagos finches pick food through garbage and Galapagos Yellow Warbler is making the nest for garbage with asbestos.

There are more problems in the Galapagos Islands. And all of them are difficult problem. Neither is immediately solved. However, it cannot ignore. The natives are continuing efforts now.

That’s all in this week.
Next week, I will introduce the solutions of these problems.
Thank you for your reading. See you then.

Week8 The Darwin's Finches

Hello, everyone.
In this week, I will introduce about the Darwin’s Finches which have different beak according to their food.






14 kinds of Darwin's Finches inhabit the Galapagos Islands which contain more than 10 islands and locate about 900km west from mainland of Ecuador. After Charles Robert Darwin treated Darwin's Finches as an object of the theory of evolution, it was investigated in detail for 20 years from 1973. They conducted follow-up survey about the kind, the figure and the food o more than 1000 Darwin's Finches which live one island continuously. Then, they discovered that the height of the beak changes little by little with individuals also in the same kind of the same group. For example, on the Daphne Island, the range of the height of a beak of Medium Ground Finch which is a kind of Darwin's Finches is 7 to 11 mm and the average is 9 mm generally.




The difference in the height of the beak between these individuals can be divided into an environment difference and the difference arising from heredity. I will talk about the difference arising from heredity. The difference in the beak between Finch's individuals is closely related to what kind of food the individual eats. As a result of researchers investigating, it is suitable for breaking hard food as an individual with a high beak. However, it is not suitable for eating a small seed as an individual with a large and high beak. The drought happened in the Galapagos Islands in 1977. Therefore, large and hard fruits, for example tribulus and cactus, and increased, and small and soft seeds have decreased. As a result of it, the individuals with a high beak survived more than the individual with low beak. And the surviving individual with high height of a beak bred. Then the children which were born after the drought also have high beak. Their beak become 1 mm higher on the average. The difference in the height of a beak made the difference of the probability of survival and, as a result, the natural selection that an individual with a high beak spread happened. (The natural selection was introduced in last week.) Several years later, the climate of Galapagos Islands has changed into heavy rain and high temperature by El Nino. Therefore, small and soft seeds have increased, and large and hard fruits have decreased. Then, a small individual with the beak with which the point sharpened came to increase because they were advantageous to eating a small seed. The natural selection was happened again.

The difference in the size of beak or body by Darwin’s Finches’ food is also happen by distribution of the animals and plants of each Island. Among Darwin’s Finches, there are a kind which eats seeds, a kind which eats the skin of iguana, a kind which eats insects and, surprisingly, a kind which suck blood of other birds. Darwin's finches can teach the mystery of natural selection.




That’s all in this week.
Next week, I will talk about the problems the Galapagos Islands have.
Thank you for your reading. See you then.

Week7 Charles Robert Darwin

Hello, everyone.
In this week, I will introduce Charles Robert Darwin, a scientist, who is related to the Galapagos Islands very much.





First, I will talk about Charles Robert Darwin himself. Charles Robert Darwin (1809-1882) is a British physical philosopher. He is a wonderful geologist and biologist. He thank that all the living things have a common ancestor and they have evolved based on the process which he called natural selection. The fact of evolution was accepted in scientific circles and the general public during his subsistence. On the other hand, it is the 1930s that it came to be considered that the theory of natural selection is the prime mover of evolution, and the theory of natural selection is one of the bases of evolutionary biology even now. Although he tends to be considered to be a biologist, the society considers him to be a geologist. His work in 1859 "The Origin of Species" established the theory of evolution.




Next, I will introduce his work. The "The Origin of Species" is the writing about the theory of evolution published by Charles Robert Darwin on November 24, 1859. He claimed that a living thing changes so that it may always be adapted for environment. He also claimed that a seed branched and various kinds arose from it. And this process was explained using some phrases. A struggle for existence and the survival of the fittest, for example. Natural selection is the mechanism that an advantageous individual survives because a difference is in the capability to leave a child to the next generation by the difference in character. He hardly explained how each kind would be born against its name, "The Origin of Species". He could not able to explain the structure of variation or heredity well because it was known about neither DNA nor the laws of heredity those days. This book is written readable for non-specialists, and attracted many interests. Because biology of those days was religious, it caused religious war.




Finally, I will talk about the relation between Charles Robert Darwin and the Galapagos Islands. Charles Robert Darwin boarded the surveying ship "HMS Beagle", and visited to the Galapagos Islands. Darwin stayed there in the second half of a voyage from September 15, 1835 to October 20, 1835. The HMS Beagle did geography investigation of islands precisely in the meantime. Record of those days can be read in his "Journal of Researches into the Natural History and Geology of the Countries Visited during the Voyage of H.M.S. Beagle round the World." The fauna observed in the Galapagos Islands became a hint of the theory of evolution with experience of investigation in South America. He said that the animals and plants in the Galapagos Islands likes in South America as a strong resemblance thing in the voyage. The research institute "Charles Darwin Research Station" was established there in 1964 and it is conducting protection and investigation of wildlife.




That’s all in this week.
Next week, I will talk about Darwin’s Finches. They have different beak according to their food.
Thank you for your reading. See you next week.

Week6 The Galapagos' Animals 3

Hello everyone.
This is the last week that I introduce unique animals which live in the Galapagos Islands.
In this week, I will talk about Galapagos’ unique birds.

I will talk about Blue-footed booby, Red-footed booby, Nazca booby, Swallow-tailed gull, Lava gull, Magnificent frigate bird, Galapagos mockingbird, Galapagos penguin, Flightless cormorant and Galapagos hawk.



The Blue-footed booby

The Blue-footed booby inhabits along the sea of all Galapagos Islands. It is the easiest to find it in three kinds of birds which inhabit Galapagos because they make a nest at the opened place. They have little wariness and we can observe them nearby. Their courtship dance that they fling up a leg alternately is notable.

The Red-footed booby
 
The Red-footed booby inhabits only Tower Island and Chatham Island. Although they are waterfowls, they build a nest on a tree. Most of them have brown body and the others have white body.

The Nazca booby

The Nazca booby is the largest booby in the Galapagos Islands. They build a nest at the place near a cliff because they use an ascending current in order to fly the big body. They fly majestically but they walk totteringly on the ground.

The Swallow-tailed gull

The Swallow-tailed gull is called that it is the most beautiful sea gull in the world. He is a nocturnal sea gull. They have least number in all kinds of sea gull.

The Lava gull

The Lava gull is one of endangered species. They are wrote in the list of Vulnerable (VU) in the Red List.

The Magnificent frigate bird

The Magnificent frigate bird has excellent flight ability and seizes the food of other birds. They have big red dewlap and sometimes swell it. Although an adult is black, a child is very beautiful snow-white.

The Galapagos mockingbird

The Galapagos mockingbird is the Galapagos’ unique land bird. They have least wariness in Galapagos and their curiosity is strong. They approach human without feeling shy. They are distributed over the wide area in the Galapagos Islands and we often see them there. They have done original evolution for every island. They are social and they form a group.

The Galapagos penguin
 
The Galapagos penguin is the same kind as the Humboldt penguin. It is thought that the Humboldt penguin rode on the Humboldt Ocean current and arrived at the Galapagos Islands. The Galapagos penguin is the only penguins which inhabit a tropical region. Because of El Nino, their number decreased sharply.
 
The Flightless cormorant

The Flightless cormorant cannot fly uniquely in all 29 kinds of cormorants. They evolved effectively to swim in water. Unlike an ordinary sea bird, their feather does not have repellence. Because of it, they can dive well.

The Galapagos hawk
 
The Galapagos hawk is the top of the food chain in the Galapagos Islands. They eat iguana, other birds and so on.  Because they attacked and ate livestock, they were regarded as a kind of the harmful bird, and quite many of them were killed. Now, The Galapagos hawk is one of endangered species.









Finally, I will introduce next week’s topic. I will talk about Charles Darwin.
Charles Darwin is a natural scientist who argues the theory of evolution. He visited the Galapagos Islands and he discovered birds which evolved very uniquely.

Thank you for your reading. See you then.

Week5 The Galapagos' Animals 2

Hello everyone.
This is the second week that I will introduce unique animals which live in the Galapagos Islands.
In this week, I will talk about Galapagos’ unique iguanas.



・The galapagos land iguana

The galapagos land iguana is a large-sized iguana which lives only in the Galapagos Islands. They are around 50cm tall. The fruit and flower of a prickly pear are a favorite food for them. They may also eat other plants and insects. The male galapagos land iguanas wag their head or push their head for each other to do a territorial fight. It is powerful so that it likes a battle of dinosaurs. The galapagos land iguana is also only in the Galapagos Islands. This large-sized iguana was much till the 19th century. However, when many human beings came to have come to the Galapagos Islands, they were likely to be exterminated. The greatest cause is the animal which man took from outside. They were attacked by the dog which became wild, and their egg eaten by the pig, and the plant of food for them was eaten by the goat. The galapagos land iguana evolved in the environment in which a natural enemy is not has no chance. Now, such animals are exterminated in order to keep the living thing and environment of the Galapagos Islands. Of course, it is guiltless to a dog or a pig. But it is very dangerous to change an ecosystem by human.

・The Santa Fe Land Iguana

They like the galapagos land iguana. But their skin is more yellowish than the galapagos land iguana, and they have bigger prickle than the galapagos land iguana.

・The galapagos marine iguana

The galapagos marine iguana is the only iguana which goes under the sea. It is said that the galapagos marine iguana and the galapagos land iguana have same ancestor. Diving for several minutes to tens of minutes is possible for a male galapagos marine iguana with big body. They eat seaweed. After going to the sea to eat seaweed, the galapagos marine iguana, the poikilothermal animal, sunbathes near the seashore in order to raise body temperature because The Sea in Galapagos is very cold under the influence of a cold current.

・The Hybrid Iguana

The Hybrid Iguana is the hybrid of male galapagos marine iguana and female galapagos land iguana.  Because of the global warming, the seaweed which is the galapagos marine iguana’s food decreased. In quest of new food, the galapagos marine iguana settled in the land of the island and they crossed with female galapagos land iguana. The Hybrid Iguanas have sharp nails to climb and eat cactus and they can dive into sea and eat seaweed. It is thought that the hybrid iguana which has this outstanding physical strength can adapt itself to a future climate change. However, their reproductive ability cannot be checked.


Next week, I will talk about unique animals which live in the Galapagos Islands, too.
The animal are Galapagos’ unique birds.
Thank you for your reading. See you later.

Week4 The Galapagos' Animals 1

Hello everyone.
In three weeks from now, I’m going to introduce unique animals which live in the Galapagos Islands.
Today, I will talk about Galapagos giant tortoise, Galapagos sea lion and Galapagos fur seal.


・The galapagos giant tortoise

Galapagos giant tortoise is the largest tortoises in the word. They are the large-sized tortoises which grow up to around 135 cm tall. They mainly eat grass and a cactus. They also eat fruit occasionally. Their natural enemy was not in the Galapagos Islands from the first. However, after the Galapagos Islands are discovered by Europeans in the 16th century, the number of Galapagos giant tortoise begins to decrease. The Galapagos giant tortoise became the suitable food of the people who do a long sea trip and the people who live there. They were overhunted for research or manufacture of turtle oil. Furthermore, the animals which humans took to the island also troubled the Galapagos giant tortoise. Eggs and child tortoises became the food of the pig or the dog. The grass which Galapagos giant tortoises eat as food had been eaten by the goat and cow. The number of the Galapagos giant tortoise which worried about extinction is increasing little by little temporarily by protection activities. Now, catching the Galapagos giant tortoise and carrying any living thing from outside are forbidden. Moreover, the trial that returns child tortoises born by breeding to wildness is also taken. However, the already extinct kind is also among the Galapagos giant tortoise family. It is important not to repeat such a fault.
In the Galapagos Islands, the subspecies of the giant tortoise evolved in every island. The Pinta giant tortoise was a subspecies of Galapagos giant tortoise lived in Ecuador's Pinta Island. In the past, the Pinta giant tortoise was considered to have been exterminated. However, the only male Pinta giant tortoise was discovered in early 1970s. But he didn’t mate. In the end, the Pinta giant tortoise became extinct in 2012.


・The galapagos sea lion

The Galapagos sea lion is one of the major animals in Galapagos. They inhabit all sands in Galapagos. We can see landing sea lions on the shore and swimming them by snorkeling or diving. In between September and December, a lovely baby sea lion will also be seen well. The Galapagos sea lion is related species of the California sea lion. It is thought that they had moved to the Galapagos Islands from the Northern Hemisphere in the past.

・The galapagos fur seal

The Galapagos fur seal is the minimum fur seal in the world. A male adult Galapagos fur seal also has only the weight of 65 kg and the height of 1.5 meters. They inhabit all sands in Galapagos. They are carnivores and they eat fish and cuttlefish. They sharply decreased by overhunt for research and exhibition in 20th century and for fur in 19th century.




Next week, I will talk about Galapagos’ animals, too.
The animal is Galapagos’ unique iguana.
Thank you for your reading. See you then.

Week3 People

Hello everyone.
In this week, I’m going to introduce people in the Galapagos Islands.


There are about three kinds of people in the Galapagos Islands. I will talk about them.

・The natives
You maybe think that the natives of Galapagos Islands have primitive life like uninhabited island. But there are supermarkets and Internet cafes and so on and elementary schools and hospitals are established. Natives live with nature and they do agriculture manually without agricultural chemicals and tractor. The contents of work are influenced by the weather because of it. Because a beach is very familiar for natives, a beach is crowded by many people in not only weekend but also a weekday if it is fine. The sea turtles and the sea lions sail in the beach near the center of a town. The distance between nature and humans are very near. Although people are not doing the rich life at all, they all love Galapagos.

・The tourists
The main industries of the Galapagos Islands are sightseeing. About 150,000 tourists come to the Galapagos Islands every year and 67 percent of people are foreigners. Every tourist who visits to the Galapagos Islands are burdened a charge. The charge brings the Galapagos Islands and Ecuador the big economic effect. The rule is prepared for landing at the Galapagos Islands and the tourists must follow this rule. The outlines of a rule are not touching an animals, not doing it move things even as a stone, not carrying an animal and a plant and not collecting nature of Galapagos Islands and carry it out. Based on it, it is determined that the sightseeing does not influence environment. Tourists' action in the Galapagos Islands is restricted greatly but Galapagos’ animals may be seen, so they don’t disappoint tourists’ expectations.

・The Volunteers
Volunteer people who are doing various activities are in the Galapagos Islands. Volunteer people are not only from Ecuador a also from foreign countries. the most important activity which protects the Galapagos' unique ecosystem is the removal activities of an exotic plants. About 600 kinds of exotic plants came to the Galapagos Islands and they are breeding under quiet climate. They threaten unique plants. The volunteer team protects the forests which leave the original ecosystem of unique plants from the influence of exotic plants. Concretely, they remove the exotic plants by their hand or a weed killer to lower their power. By steady activity, the condition is improving little by little.


Next week, I will talk about Galapagos’ animals.
Thank you for your reading. See you later.

Week2 History

Hello everyone.

In the second week, I will talk about the Galapagos Islands’ history.

・The discovery and The pirates

In1535, Spanish bishop, Fray Tomás de Berlanga, who sailed from Panama toward South America discovered the Galapagos Islands. The Incaic Empire in South America has yielded to Pissarro's army several years ago. Fray Tomás de Berlanga was an evangelist who goes to the conquest place. While going south along the continent, the ship was caught by the ocean current which flows into the west and Galapagos was discovered accidentally. This is the first time that human beings landed at the Galapagos Islands. There are some persons who explain that the Inca's people had come before it. However, the opinion does not still proved. After collapse of the Incaic Empire, the Spain ship advanced into Panama and South America. When it entered in the 17th century, the pirate ship which attacks the Spain ship which carries out gold and silver from the Inca appeared. The pirate ships hid in the lee of an island of Galapagos,and they pillaged repeatedly. There are peoples who made the map of the Galapagos islands and named islands’ names. It is used as an English name now.

・The whaler and The settlement

From the 18th century till the middle of the 19th century, the whaler worked actively in the ocean surrounding the Galapagos Islands. Two accidents on the nature of Galapagos appear from the time. One of the accidents is increase of goats. The time the pirate ship was in Galapagos Islands, goats were put on the ship as food and a little goat were released to some islands. The increased goats become pirates’ food. After the whaler appeared, breeding of a goat became much more active. The other is overhunting of giant tortoises. The meat of the giant tortoise was very delicious and giant tortoises were easy to get. 14000 giant tortoises were captured in 30 years in early 19th century. In 1832, Ecuador declared possession of the Galapagos Islands and settle of people started. Floreana, San Cristobal, Isabela, and the Sierra Negrra Volcano were the target of exploitation and settlement. The area along the shore and the mountain side were cultivated. Isla Santa Cruz which the greatest population in Galapagos Islands has now was not the target of settlement until 1935.

・Now

The air route was established between a continent and Galapagos in 1968. Before it, there were only two liners per month. After the air route was established, Galapagos’ people’s life became better than before. This air route is what the U.S. Forces made during World War II from the first. However, because Baltra, the island in which the air port is, was an uninhabited island, to the place in which people live, it is neccesary to arrange a pickup ship by the letter or telegram. But the crossing road between Baltra and Santa Cruz in 1976 was established. Then, various means of transportation were established. Galapagos Islands had become a tourist area. Galapagos Islands became more modernistic as it became more famous.

Next week, I’m going to introduce the Galapagos Islands’ people.

Thank you for your reading. See you then.