Cifuentes Arias, Miguel

English

Aquatic Commons

EL NINO EN LAS ISLAS GALAPAGOS: EL EVENTO DE 1982-83 
THE 1982-83 EL NINO EVENT IN THE GALAPAGOS ISLANDS 
Edited by Gary Robinson & Eugenia del Pino 
Published, Quito, 1985 by the Charles Darwin Foundation. Softback, XXIV + 534pp. 
30 articles, 14 in Spanish, 16 in English 
Available from Fundacion Charles Darwin CasiUa 3891, Quito, Ecuador. 
US$12.00 plus postage 
In reading this book I have enjoyed the reports and learned much from the scientific studies. But above all 
I have been deeply impressed by what the book represents beyond the cold academic explanations. When 
you read it, consider that you are enjoying the privilege of experiencing the reality of Galapagos. This is 
the joint work of authors from different continents speaking different languages; of renowned scientists 
and college students; of nature lovers and, especially, of people of Galapagos: men and women who, while 
knowing their own land, have only now begun to discover the reasons why all the world has fallen in love 
with their islands. 
The volume's 580 pages include articles on climatology, oceanography, marine and terrestrial biology, as 
well as on socio-economic aspects of the human population. Edited by Eugenia del Pino (Ecuador) and 
Gary Robinson (USA), it brings together 30 articles by 56 authors, half of them in Spanish, half in 
English. The editors deserve special gratitude, not only for the quality of the volume but also for the way 
in which they have overcome the problems of bringing together writers from Galapagos, Guayaquil, 
Quito, Hawaii, United States, Israel, Switzerland, Denmark, Great Britain and Germany. 
The book is divided into five sections. The first consists of six articles on oceanography and climatology, 
beginning with an historical account of the influence of EI Nino on the climate of Ecuador by Plutarco 
Naranjo, member of the Darwin Foundation's Council. Klaus Wyrtki, a world authority on EI Nino, 
describes its development right across the Pacific. Stanley Hayes follows with an analysis of the variation 
of the temperature and level of the ocean in the archipelago, while Marco Robalino summarises the 
meteorological data registered at the Darwin Station and compares them with previous averages. Jane 
Kogelschatz and colleagues from Duke University and the National Institute of Fisheries present 
evidence of the variations in the production of nutrients which had such a profound influence on the 
marine ecosystem of the Galapagos; Gene Feldman carries this further by studying the effect on the 
seabirds and marine mammals. 
The second section consists of a single article by Godfrey Merlen, a naturalist guide, who lived through 
the event and records his personal experiences and observations. He epitomises the ordeals of Galapagos 
residents when he writes: "It became necessary to be absolutely interested in the rainfall and its effects in 
order not to despair after sweeping the water from our floor for the nth time. I found ... a fascination in 
following the idea of the limits of mental and physical tolerance. Galapagos has always been a land of 
harsh subsistence. The low rainfall has perhaps saved the islands from being over-exploited. Even today 
in some years it is obligatory to transport brackish water to the farms in the highlands for the survival of 
the cattle. Yet, with the arrival of the rains, we found justthe opposite. The thin topsoil was removed. The 
cattle stood on small hillocks whilst all around the swirling waters busied themselves with gravity's force, 
taking with them the very essence of the vegetation's future. How cold are the poles, how hot the deserts, 
how wet the oceans. What a very small habitat is left to man! How much he needs to care for it." 
The third section consists of 10 articles dealing with the changes in marine life and the communities that 
are dependent on it. The co-editor, Gary Robinson (Santa Barbara City College, California) reports on 
the mortality of different types of coral, barnacles, sea urchins and other invertebrates. He also mentions 
the presence of species of fish not previously recorded and the absence of common or endemic species, a 
theme which is further developed by Jack Grove (Los Angeles County Museum). Andrew Laurie of 
Cambridge University documents the heavy mortality of the marine iguanas and their problems of 
reproduction. Dominique Limberger (Max-Planck Institute) explains the effects of EI Nino on the fur 
seals and other species. Catherine Rechten (Max-Planck Institute), who studied the nesting of the 
albatrosses, concluded that not a single chick hatched. Cecilia Hernandez and Tjitte de Vries (Catholic 
University of Quito) report the reduced number of pairs of Great Frigatebirds, while Carlos Valle 
(CDRS) records the collapse of the seabird populations in 1982-83, followed by clear signs of recovery in 
26 
Noticias de Galapagos, vol. 44 1986
January 1984. Felipe & Justine Cruz (CDRS) tell of the success of their campaign to save the Hawaiian 
Petrels by protecting a breeding colony from the rats, a success that would have been greater but for the 
deluges which killed some chicks. Arnaldo Tupiza (CDRS) gives a succinct account of the effects of El 
Nino on the wildlife of the Cemetary Lagoon and the floods at Puerto Villamil, Isabela. He wonders 
whether it would not have been better to continue the traditional practice of building the houses on stilts. 
Finally, Ana Maria Sosa (Catholic University of Quito) reports on the reduced numbers of seabirds on the 
Quinta Playa ponds. The whole of this section shows how marine life and all the organisms dependent on 
it were disastrously affected. 
The fourth section, consisting of eight articles on the effects of terrestrial species, seems to be in 
contradiction with the third because the botanists Hamann, Luong, Toro, Weber and Beck all agree that, 
with rare exceptions, the flora flourished. Inconspicuous or unknown plants grew exuberantly, spread out 
and apparently colonized new areas, perhaps other islands. Ole Hamann writes: "When water was no 
longer a limiting factor for plant growth, a great number of species were able not only to germinate and 
grow but also to flower and fruit abundantly both in arid and humid vegetation types. Such species may 
be said to have reacted positively to the Nino conditions." He adds: "Observations during the next few 
years will reveal whether new species have been added to the flora but until then it appears that the Nino 
did not cause a change in the general composition of the vegetation types. However it did change the 
relative importance of the component species in some places." 
As with the plants, most terrestrial animals also benefited from El Nino. Linda Cayot, Friedeman & 
Heide Koster, Peter & Barbara Grant, Robert Curry and Yael Lubin document such successes in their 
articles on giant tortoises, finches, mockingbirds and fire ants. Although the expansion of the ants can be 
regarded as a positive achievement for that species, it had a negative effect on the native invertebrates and 
brought no joy to the human population. 
The fifth section of the book deals with the effects of EI Nino on man, a noteworthy achievement of 
authors and editors. Don Eliecer Cruz, an old settler on F1oreana, tells of the trials endured by a 
Galapagos farmer. Students of the Galapagos National College report the damage to the road across 
Santa Cruz, to the soil on the farms and to the vegetation, as well as discussing the problems of 
agriculture, cattle raising, fishing, fire ants and human health. Eugenia del Pino, joint editor, devotes the 
final article of the book to her visit to Galapagos as EI Nino was ending in August 1983. Like so many of 
us, she found it difficult to believe that what she was seeing was real: a different Galapagos with rivers and 
gorges, culverts and bridges, with exuberant vegetation on all sides but with sadly reduced populations of 
seabirds and marine animals. 
I have deliberately left to the last my comments on the article by Jacinto Gordillo and the introduction by 
Peter Kramer, former President of the Darwin Foundation and now the Director of Conservation of the 
World Wildlife Fund International. Gordillo urges greater respect for nature and describes how public 
works, which did not take sufficient account of the conditions of Galapagos, particularly the diversion of 
the natural flow of water by large concrete stuctures, led to the destruction of the newly inaugurated 
children's playground and serious flooding in the town of Puerto Baquerizo. "Could there be a clearer 
natural history lesson for architects, engineers, town planners, or even for the inhabitants of Galapagos?" 
Peter Kramer voices what is for me the essential message of this book when he writes: "The Darwin 
Foundation calls upon scientists and planners to make use of this case history when teaching a basic 
conservation lesson. Populations and biotic communities must be sufficiently protected and large enough 
to be safe not only when average environmental conditions prevail, but also during times of climatic 
extremes and stress". 
I believe that this book which I have reviewed has one small fault. Its title should be expanded to include: 
"A basic lesson in conservation". 
Miguel Cifuentes Arias 
Superintendent of the Galapagos National Park Service 
27 
Noticias de Galapagos, vol. 44 1986


The 1982-83 El Niño event in the Galapagos Islands edited by Gary Robinson and Eugénia del Pino [book review]

http://aquaticcommons.org/5788/1/NG_44_1986_Cifuentes_Book_review_El_Nino.pdf

The 1982-83 El Niño event in the Galapagos Islands edited by Gary Robinson and Eugénia del Pino [book review]

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