From a special issue: A Brief History of the Charles Darwin Foundation for the Galapagos Islands 1959-198

Smith, G. T. Corley

English

Aquatic Commons

26 NOTICIAS DE GALAPAGOS No. 49 
EDUCATION AND RESEARCH - THE "EL NINO" YEARS 
FRlEOEMAN KOSTER, 1981-83 
Although a German citizen, Friedemann Koster, 
the next Director, had had years of experience of 
South America both as a schoolboy and as a nature 
conservationist. There was an interregnum of some 
months before he and his wife and children could 
take up residence and during this period David Duffy, 
the staff ornithologist, took charge of the Station. 
There were significant changes at the CDRS 
during Koster's years, particularly in the related fields 
of education and scientific staff. Eugenia del Pino, 
a lecturer at the Catholic University in Quito, had 
pointed out to the CDF's Executive Council that, 
while the scholarships introduced by Kramer to 
enable Ecuadorean students to work at the station 
had marked an admirable advance in collaboration 
with the national universities, the scheme still fell 
short of the contribution that the Darwin Foundation 
was capable of making to Ecuadorean education and 
development. (Noticias de Galapagos No. 31). The 
difficulty was that the CDF lacked the funds to 
employ more international scientific staff to do the 
teaching. Fortunately the state of the oil market 
produced a brief boom in the Ecuadorean economy 
and the government, anxious to promote scientific 
education, greatly increased its financial 
contribution: indeed, for a brief period it met more 
than half the expenses of the CDRS. While this 
bonanza lasted, the Darwin Foundation could afford 
to enlarge the Station's scientific staff to include a 
herpetologist, a marine biologist, a botanist, an 
ornithologist, an entomologist, an officer in charge 
of feral mammal control, a human ecologist and a 
co-ordinator of education. Each served for about 
three years. This strengthening of the resident staff 
enabled the CDRS to increase the number of its 
students and to improve the standard of teaching. 
More research could also be devoted to conservation. 
Contacts with the universities on the mainland grew 
closer. With the help of Gonzalo Oviedo, the 
education co-ordinator, environmental education in 
the Galapagos schools was re-organised and new text 
books provided. 
Seminar in the Van Straelen (lecture & exhibition) Hall, 
CDRS 
Noticias de Galapagos, vol. 49, English version, June 1990
SOTICIAS DE GALAPAGOS 27 
(onservation projects which had been researched 
in pn:vious years were now put into operation. To 
the general surprise, the campaigns to eradicate the 
dogs in key areas were completed in less time than 
planned. Thanks to the labours of the GNPS and 
(DRS teams, the dogs were virtually eliminated 
within two years both from the Conway Bay area 
of Santa Cruz and from the coast of Isabela. While 
it was not certain that no dog had escaped and there 
was no guarantee that domestic dogs would not turn 
wild in the future, the new situation clearly 
encouraged the release of some of the captive-bred 
land iguanas in their traditional habitats, Cats were 
still a threat to the young ones but risks had to be 
taken and careful monitoring showed that the risks 
were justified, (Noticias de GaJapagos No. 36). 
While the dogs were being brought under control, 
another holding project had also proved successful. 
As there was no space for them in the CDRS pens, 
38 of the recued iguanas were transferred to a tiny 
islet just off the coast of Santa Cruz, where it was 
hoped that they would be beyond the reach of the 
dogs. The GNPS wardens laboriously covered the 
islet with 90 tons of earth into which the iguanas 
could dig nesting burrows. The experiment prospered 
and the iguanas bred, thus providing another line 
of defence against the extinction of this community. 
Dogs never reached the islet but rats did, and they 
had to be eliminated. 
A third population of land iguanas was also 
preserved in remarkable circumstances. In the 1930's 
there was an abundant and vigorous community on 
the arid island of South Seymour (now known as 
Baltra) but none on nearby North Seymour. This 
puzzled a visiting scientist, who transferred some 30 
iguanas to the smaller island to see wilat would 
happen. What happened was that South Seymour 
became a U.S. military base and airfield during the 
Second World War and not a single iguana survived 
there, while those removed to North Seymour lived 
on to a ripe old age. Howard and Heidi Snell found 
that there were still some 20 of them remaining. They 
were breeding but the young were not surviving, 
presumably owing to local conditions. This meant 
that the population would eventually die out. So in 
1981 a few of them were taken to the CDRS pens 
where they bred and their young were successfully 
raised. The genes of the South Seymour - Baltra 
iguanas had been preserved but this left the problem 
of the future of the community; North Seymour was 
apparently an unsuitable habitat and it was doubtful 
whether the iguanas could be safely released on their 
ancestral island of Baltra in view of the radical 
changes that had occurred during the last half-
century and the fact that it did not form part of 
the National Park. (Noticias de Gahipagos No. 34). 
The captive breeding of these three distinct 
populations of land iguanas was a notable 
achievement. Nothing comparable had been 
attempted anywhere else. There were many setbacks 
and much research and experimenting was needed 
before satisfactory incubating temperatures and 
humidities could be established. Great credit goes 
to Dagmar Werner for her initial intervention, to 
Howard and Heidi Snell for their years of basic 
scientific research, to Miguel Cifuentes of the GNPS 
and Robert Reynolds of the CD RS and their devoted 
staffs for the management of the programme. 
After years of research, the CDRS finally went 
into action to save the dark-rumped petrel. Under 
the direction of Malcolm Coulter, the new staff 
ornithologist, Felipe and Justina Cruz zealously 
maintained a cordon of poison baits round a nesting 
colony in the .rain-drenched highlands of Floreana. 
This method almost completely excluded the black 
rats from the area and 72 of the 100 nests fledged 
young. This was just one breeding colony on one 
island and the others were still at the mercy of rats 
and pigs (though no longer of dogs) but it did 
demonstrate that, given the manpower and the 
money, this splendid petrel could be saved from 
extinction. 
Efforts by the staff entomologist, Yael Lubin, 
and her helpers to eradicate the introduced fire ants 
were not completely successful. These aggressive 
insects, which had a very destructive impact on the 
native terrestrial invertebrates, were carried from one 
island to another, concealed in people's clothes and 
food. Drastic methods were employed to prevent 
their spread and to stamp them out wherever they 
had established themselves, but it had to be accepted 
that the most that could be achieved was limited 
local control. 
Noticias de Galapagos, vol. 49, English version, June 1990
'JOTICIAS DE GALAPAGOS No. 49 
Luong T~.m Tuoc. a CDRS staff botanist. co-
llpcrated 'With the Gi\lPS team engaged on eradicating 
introduced plants and trees. Experiments were made 
'With herbicides and arboricides and a scheme for 
the use of controlled fire was considered. This last 
method would need to be followed by the planting 
of rapid growing native trees, so nurseries were 
established. Luong's inventory of the flora of the 
archipelago and its species composition, besides 
contributing to botanical knowledge, revealed the 
alarming extent of the spread of alien plants and 
trees. 
At long last a marine laboratory was installed 
under the staff marine biologist, Gary Robinson, who 
also continued the underwater explorations of 
Gerard Wellington and drafted detailed plans for 
the establishment of a marine park (Noticias de 
Galapagos No. 37). Together with Priscilla Martinez 
of the National Institute of Fisheries, he analysed 
the extent and reproductive potential of the black 
coral populations, which were being exploited for 
the manufacture of souvenirs for tourists. This and 
all other Galapagos corals had been badly affected 
by the climatic conditions of 1983. 
All scientific and conservation activities, in fact 
all life in the Galapagos, were dominated by the 
extraordinary El Niiio event of 1982-83 and its 
aftermath. El Niiio is a frequent if irregular warm 
and wet weather phenomenon occurring about 
Christmastime. On this occasion it was not only much 
more intense but it was also prolonged for months. 
There was no parallel in recorded history though 
comparable events had doubtless taken place in 
earlier centuries. The rythm of nature was disrupted. 
The rainfall measured at the Darwin Station during 
the 9 months of E1 Niiio was 3264 mm, compared 
with the average annual figure of 254 mm. Deserts 
became lakes and muddy torrents rushed through 
the cactus zones. The tortoises left the even wetter 
uplands and stayed down on the coastal plains for 
months. Many plants flourished abnormally with the 
extraordinary rains and, in consequence, insects and 
land birds did likewise. Finches produced five, even 
six broods in the season and early broods bred 
themselves in their first year. 
But the animals that depended on the sea were 
decimated. Boobies. albatrosses, flamingos. gulls and 
other ground-nesting sea birds had their nests flooded 
out and all species that derived their food from the 
ocean were faced with stalvation as the water 
temperature rose by 4-8 degrees C. and no longer 
produced the usual nutrients. Those birds that could 
fly left the islands, but some could not. Half the 
flightless cormorants and three quarters of the little 
Galapagos penguins died. Gulls, boobies and 
cormorants regained their numbers gratifying quickly 
but the recovery of the penguins was long delayed. 
The marine iguanas suffered severely as the particular 
algae on which they largely depended disappeared 
from the sea: up to 90% of the year's hatchlings 
died, while overall mortality varied between 45% and 
70% on different islands. The sea lions' numbers were 
greatly reduced and the fur seals lost nearly all the 
young born in the four years 1980-83 and possibly 
30% of the adult population. It seems quite probable 
that if this climatic catastrophe had occurred in the 
1920's or 1930's, when their numbers were. 
dangerously depleted, the endemic Galapagos fur 
seals would have become extinct. They survived this 
crisis because years of protection had increased their 
numbers to the point where they could bear the 
abnormal stress. 
There was little that the conservationists could 
do to cope with the crisis but for the long-term 
researchers this cruel event was an exceptional 
scientific opportunity. (Not for all scientists however: 
some simply had to abandon their projects). Fritz 
Trillmich had been studying the fur seals for several 
years and so had the experience on which to base 
a comparison of population fluctuations before, 
during and after the disaster. Andrew Laurie was 
actually engaged on a three year study of the 
population dynamics of the marine iguanas and his 
project was extended to six years so that he could 
assess the effects of the E1 Nino event and the reaction 
of the iguanas to the disaster. At the "normal" rate 
of reproduction, which he had already established, 
it would have taken decades for their numbers to 
recover, but this was countered by a remarkable 
increase in fertility once the surviving iguanas were 
restored to fitness. Laurie's research provides a firm 
basis for policies for the future preservation of this 
Noticias de Galapagos, vol. 49, English version, June 1990
~OTlC1AS DE GALAPAGOS 29 
pt:l'uluf Galapagos ,peCll~S, 
Sine.: 1971 Ole Hamann had been investigating 
thl! J\ namlcs llf the Galapagos vegetation by 
monitl)fing permanent study quadrats on various 
i,;ianJ" Th.: £1 ,Vino phenomenon caused a 
spectacular change In the structure and composition 
of the Galapagos vegetation when herbaceous species 
nourished and woody species and cacti died. The 
study of these changes complements the research 
conducted over the years on the recovery patterns 
of vegetation after the eradication of feral goats on 
several islands and so contributes to our 
understanding of the functioning of the Galapagos 
ecosystems, which is fundamental for managing and 
conserving the unique biota of the archipelago. 
Peter Grant was leading a group of colleagues 
in a very longterm investigation of the finches and 
they had already compiled a vast amount of statistical 
information before E1 Nino struck. The rains led 
to the unprecedented popUlation explosion which 
they recorded in detail. E1 Nino was then followed 
by a prolonged drought and a shortage offood. which 
savagely reduced the finches' overswollen numbers, 
This conjunction of exaggerated expansion and 
contraction provided an opportunity, unlikely to be 
repeated for generations. to study how extreme 
conditions affect survival and the evolution of species 
and it could throw light on some of the factors 
governing natural selection. 
The Charles Darwin Foundation published in 
Quito a volume of 30 articles on the 1982-83 E1 Nino 
event. edited by Gary Robinson and Eugenia del 
Pino. half in Spanish, half in English. 
Friedemann Koster ended his period as CDRS 
Director in December 1983 but he did not leave the 
islands immediately. He and Sylvia Harcourt. a staff 
ornithologist, joined with Dieter and Mary Plage, 
a distinguished camera team, to make a series of 
five one-hour films for Anglia Television's "Survival" 
series. They devoted three years to this task, and 
their films gave to millions a comprehensive picture 
of Galapagos wildlife and the measures being taken 
to conserve it. 
Miguel Castro, the first Conservation Officer, 
gives a Natural History Lesson 
Photography by Sven Giltsatcr 
Noticias de Galapagos, vol. 49, English version, June 1990


Education and research - the "El Niño" years

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Education and research - the "El Niño" years

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