Ecuador and the Galapagos, February 17-24, 2008

For several years, Steve Walsh, professor of geography at UNC-Chapel Hill, has conducted research in the Galapagos Islands (see “Defending the Galapagos,” Endeavors, winter 2007.) Carlos Mena, who completed his Ph.D. working with Walsh in the Galapagos, recently joined the faculty of the University of San Francisco Quito (USFQ), a private university in Ecuador. During 2007, UNC and USFQ began discussing a potential research collaboration. This led to a memorandum of agreement between the two institutions. In February of 2008, a delegation from UNC-Chapel Hill visited with the president and chancellor of USFQ , and with USFQ faculty members, to discuss our collaboration. After a day of meetings on the campus near Quito, the delegation traveled to the Galapagos Islands, where we met with leaders of the Charles Darwin Research Station and the Galapagos National Park. The purpose of these meetings was to learn about research needs and opportunities for collaboration with the research station and the park. In addition, the delegation visited Isabela Island, where invasive species of plants and animals, increasing tourism, and rapid immigration have begun to threaten the natural environment. Because it is in the midst of this rapid transition, we felt that Isabela might be a likely spot for research into the interaction of humans and the environment, an area strength of UNC-Chapel Hill. Therefore our team included several social scientists as well as administrators responsible for overseeing the new research collaborations. The UNC team included:

  • Bernadette Gray-Little, Executive Vice Chancellor & Provost
  • Holden Thorp – Dean, College of Arts and Sciences
  • Barbara Entwisle – Director, Carolina Population Center
  • Peggy Bentley – Associate Director, Institute for Global Health
  • Gary Bowen – Professor, School of Social Work
  • Stephen Walsh – Professor, Department of Geography
  • Neil Caudle – Associate Vice Chancellor, Research & Economic Development

Tony Waldrop, Vice Chancellor for Research and Economic Development, has been a key proponent of the Galapagos initiative but could not join us for the trip.

The photographs here were taken by Neil Caudle and Holden Thorp.

Quito

Bernadette Gray-Little, provost and executive vice chancellor of UNC-Chapel Hill, meets with Santiago Gangotena, chancellor of the University of San Francisco of Quito, on the Cumbaya campus near Quito, Ecuador. Feb. 18, 2008. Photo by Neil Caudle; click image to enlarge.

Carlos Montúfar, president of the University of San Francisco of Quito (USFQ), on the Cumbaya campus near Quito, Ecuador. Feb. 18, 2008. Photo by Neil Caudle; click image to enlarge.

The University of San Francisco of Quito (USFQ) is a private, liberal-arts university with a main campus in Cumbaya, a valley adjacent to Quito, Ecuador. USFQ opened in 1987, and its student body includes approximately 3,300 four-year undergraduates, 800 community college students, and 200 are graduate students. Feb. 18, 2008. Photo by Neil Caudle; click image to enlarge.

Students in the culinary arts program at USFQ learn to create a wide range of foods in modern facilities. The program was created by USFQ's chancellor, Santiago Gangotena, an accomplished chef who also received his PhD in physics from UNC-Chapel Hill. Feb. 18, 2008. Photo by Neil Caudle; click image to enlarge.

Chancellor Santiago Gangotena, who teaches Asian philosophy and poetry as well as physics, built this classroom and meditation center on the USFQ campus. Feb. 18, 2008. Photo by Neil Caudle; click image to enlarge.

The library at USFQ. Feb. 18, 2008. Photo by Neil Caudle; click image to enlarge.

Campus buildings at USFQ reflect the diverse international influences of Santiago Gangotena, chancellor and chief designer of the campus. Feb. 18, 2008. Photo by Neil Caudle; click image to enlarge.

USFQ's commitment to the culinary arts includes a wine cellar, where Chancellor Gangotena (far end of the table) sometimes entertains international visitors. Feb. 18, 2008. Photo courtesy of USFQ; click image to enlarge.

USFQ's clock tower is engraved, in Sanskrit, with what Chancellor Gangotena believes to be the first poem ever written. Feb. 18, 2008. Photo by Neil Caudle; click image to enlarge.

Santa Cruz, Galapagos

One of the famous finches of the Galapagos. Feb. 19, 2008. Photo by Holden Thorp; click image to enlarge.

Marine iguanas stand watch near a ground-floor room of the Red Mangrove hotel in Santa Cruz. Feb. 20, 2008. Photo by Neil Caudle; click image to enlarge.

Baby tortoises at a breeding center at the Charles Darwin Research Station on Santa Cruz Island. Feb. 20, 2008. Photo by Neil Caudle; click image to enlarge.

A giant tortoise, probably over 100 years old, at the Charles Darwin Research Station on Santa Cruz Island. A Galapagos giant tortoise can measure up to five and a half feet across its carapace and weigh up to 650 pounds. Tortoises have different carapaces that probably evolved as adaptations to the environments on each island. Saddle-back types are raised at the front to allow the tortoises’ long necks to reach for higher vegetation on drier islands. Dome-shaped tortoises, such as the one in this photo, do not need to reach for food on moist islands where lower vegetation is available, but the shape of the shell probably helps them push through dense growth. Feb. 20, 2008. Photo by Neil Caudle; click image to enlarge.

A prickly pear cactus in bloom near Tortuga Bay on Santa Cruz Island. There are three types of cactus on the islands. This one is the most common, and is eaten by tortoises and land iguanas. Feb. 20, 2008. Photo by Neil Caudle; click image to enlarge.

Boats at anchor in the harbor at Santa Cruz. Boats visiting the Galapagos are controlled by the government of Ecuador and the Galapagos National Park. Only a few large cruise liners are allowed. Most tourists visit using smaller vessels like these. Feb. 21, 2008. Photo by Neil Caudle; click image to enlarge.

On many of the islands’ landscapes, lava rock, cactus, and thorn bushes make going difficult for people who stray from walkways or roads. Feb. 20, 2008. Photo by Neil Caudle; click image to enlarge.

Motorcycles parked alongside a mural of Charles Darwin near the boat terminal on Santa Cruz Island. Feb. 21, 2008. Photo by Neil Caudle; click image to enlarge.

Graham Watkins, director of the Charles Darwin Research Station, with a portrait of Darwin. Watkins told visitors about the need to understand the interaction of people and the environment in the Galapagos, where the rapid expansion of tourism and permanent residents threatens the islands’ ecosystems. Feb. 20, 2008. Photo by Neil Caudle; click image to enlarge.

A harbor in Santa Cruz at low tide. Outcrops of sharp volcanic rock make navigation treacherous in Galapagos waters. Feb. 20, 2008. Photo by Neil Caudle; click image to enlarge.

A land iguana at the Charles Darwin Research Station in Santa Cruz Island. Feb. 20, 2008. Photo by Holden Thorp; click image to enlarge.

A small barge ferries supplies from a ship into the terminal at Santa Cruz. Shallow waters and rocky outcrops make it impossible for large supply ships to reach a dock. Feb. 21, 2008. Photo by Neil Caudle; click image to enlarge.

Tourists at Tortuga Bay, Santa Cruz Island. Feb. 20, 2008. Photo by Neil Caudle; click image to enlarge.

A giant tortoise at the Charles Darwin Research Station in Santa Cruz Island. Feb. 20, 2008. Photo by Neil Caudle; click image to enlarge.

UNC visitors at a tortoise hatchery of the Charles Darwin Research Station on Santa Cruz. From left, Gary Bowen, professor of social work; Holden Thorp, dean of the College of Arts and Sciences; Steve Walsh, professor of geography; Paola Pozo, botanist at the CDRS; Bernadette Gray-Litte, provost and executive vice chancellor; Barbara Entwisle, director of the Carolina Population Center. Feb. 20, 2008. Photo by Neil Caudle; click image to enlarge.

Galapagos giant tortoises feeding at the tortoise breeding center of the Charles Darwin Research Station on Santa Cruz Island. Scientists estimate that 250,000 tortoises in 14 species lived in Galapagos before the arrival of humans. Now there are about 20,000 in 11 species. Feb. 20, 2008. Photo by Neil Caudle; click image to enlarge.

Isabela

A sea lion pup seems right at home with young iguanas on a beach near Isabela Island. Feb. 22, 2008. Photo by Holden Thorp; click image to enlarge.

The beach and town of Isabela. Approximately 2500 people live on the island, most of them along the shore or on the rainy slopes of the Sierra Negra volcano. The beach town has a few small hotels, but most tourists visit by cruise ship and make brief visits to the island. Feb. 21, 2008. Photo by Neil Caudle; click image to enlarge.

Bernadette Gray-Little, provost and executive vice chancellor, takes a turn at the helm of a boat carrying UNC visitors from Santa Cruz to Isabela. A licensed pilot stands watch behind her. Feb. 21, 2008. Photo by Neil Caudle; click image to enlarge.

A blue-footed boobie. Scientists do not know why the Galapagos boobie has blue feet. The boobie hunts fish from the air, folding its wings tight for a piercing, headfirst dive into the sea. Feb. 22, 2008. Photo by Holden Thorp; click image to enlarge.

A wrecked fishing boat a few meters from shore on Isabela. Feb. 21, 2008. Photo by Neil Caudle; click image to enlarge.

The caldera of Sierra Negra is 11 kilometers across. Feb. 22, 2008. Photo by Neil Caudle; click image to enlarge.

The Campo Duro campground and giant tortoise refuge on the slopes of the Sierra Negra volcano has gardens, tents, and pens for tortoises being raised for reintroduction on the island. Feb. 22, 2008. Photo by Neil Caudle; click image to enlarge.

Lava rocks frosted with lichens on a small island near Isabela. Feb. 22, 2008. Photo by Neil Caudle; click image to enlarge.

Steve Walsh (right), professor of geography, with Emma Flor, president of Pescado Azul, an association to promote women in the seafood-processing business. Flor recently received an award from the United Nations Development Programme for her efforts. The land directly behind them belongs to the University of San Francisco of Quito. Feb. 21, 2008. Photo by Neil Caudle; click image to enlarge.

UNC delegation and Ecuadorian colleagues on the rim of the Sierra Negra caldera on Isabela Island. From left: Paola Pozo, a local botanist; Steve Walsh, professor of geography; Peggy Bentley, associate director, Institute for Global Health; Barbara Entwisle, director, Carolina Population Center; Gary Bowen, professor of social work; Bernadette Gray-Little, provost and executive vice chancellor; Neil Caudle, associate vice chancellor for research; Diego Quiroga, vice chancellor for international programs, University of San Francisco of Quito (USFQ); Holden Thorp, dean of the College of Arts and Sciences; Carlos Mena, PhD graduate of UNC (working with Steve Walsh) and now a faculty member in environmental sciences, USFQ. Feb. 22, 2008. Photo by Neil Caudle; click image to enlarge.

Gary Bowen, professor of social work, examines the construction of a house on Isabela Island. Using diamond-tipped saw blades, workers slice the local lava rock and use it to clad parts of buildings. Feb. 22, 2008. Photo by Neil Caudle; click image to enlarge.

UNC delegation and Ecuadorian colleagues at the new airport on Isabela Island. From left: Gary Bowen, professor of social work; Carlos Mena, USFQ; Bernadette Gray-Little, provost and executive vice chancellor; Barbara Entwisle, director, Carolina Population Center; Holden Thorp, dean, College of Arts and Sciences; Peggy Bentley, associate director, Institute for Global Health; Diego Quiroga, vice chancellor for international programs, University of San Francisco of Quito (USFQ); Steve Walsh, professor of geography. Feb. 23, 2008. Photo by Neil Caudle; click image to enlarge.

A marine iguana on lava rocks near Isabela Island. Feb. 22, 2008. Photo by Neil Caudle; click image to enlarge.

Two marine iguanas on lava rocks near Isabela Island. Feb. 22, 2008. Photo by Neil Caudle; click image to enlarge.

A mass of young marine iguanas near Isabela Island. Feb. 22, 2008. Photo by Neil Caudle; click image to enlarge.

Iguanas on the rocks near Isabela Island. Feb. 22, 2008. Photo by Neil Caudle; click image to enlarge.

A Sally lightfoot crab on volcanic rocks, Galapagos Islands. Feb. 2008. Photo by Holden Thorp; click image to enlarge.

The Galapagos penguin is the only penguin found on the equator and owes its survival to the cool waters bathing the island from ocean currents. It is only about 20 inches tall. This one appeared on a rocky outcrop near Isabela Island. Feb. 22, 2008. Photo by Holden Thorp; click image to enlarge.

A marine iguana rests on a lava rock on a beach at Isabela Island. Feb. 22, 2008. Photo by Neil Caudle; click image to enlarge.

Sea lions and blue-footed boobies share a rock in the ocean near Isabela Island. Feb. 21, 2008. Photo by Neil Caudle; click image to enlarge.

A sea lion shares a sandy beach with marine iguanas near Isabela Island. Feb. 22, 2008. Photo by Neil Caudle; click image to enlarge.

A sea lion rests on a boat in the harbor of Isabela Island. Photo by Holden Thorp; click image to enlarge.

A sea lion rests on a boat in the harbor of Isabela Island. Feb. 22, 2008. Photo by Neil Caudle; click image to enlarge.

A Galapagos shorebird. Feb., 2008. Photo by Holden Thorp; click image to enlarge.

Sea lions on a sandy beach near Isabela Island. Feb. 22, 2008. Photo by Holden Thorp; click image to enlarge.

View of Isabela from the slopes of Sierra Negra. Feb. 22, 2008. Photo by Neil Caudle; click image to enlarge.

Carpenters at a house-building site on Isabela. Builders here use local lumber and lava rock whenever possible because importing construction materials and fixtures can take months and cost much more than on the mainland. Feb. 21, 2008. Photo by Neil Caudle; click image to enlarge.