GALAPAGOS CONSERVATION TRUST

An interpretive education trail on Santa Cruz Island

The Tribes Foundation is a supporter of the Galapagos Conservation Trust which is committed to conservation and sustainable development in the archipelago via several different channels.

• Conserving endemic species
• Marine conservation
• Conservation through education
• Controlling invasive species
• Sustainable development

The Trust uses the Galapagos as a template for conservation methods and ideas that can be rolled out across the globe. They work closely with organisations and the authorities in the Galapagos and mainland Ecuador in order to achieve the greatest impact from their efforts across the different areas of conservation.

In October 2016 The Tribes Foundation funded an education project for an interpretive trail at a school on Santa Cruz Island. The information along the trail will be in English (assisting students in their English language development) and will have a strong conservation and sustainability theme, information along the trail will be refreshed regularly and will assist students in completing projects that are part of the curriculum.

As well as benefiting the 180 students who attend the school, this particular school is also a training facility for teachers at other schools in the Galapagos.  They will be using the trail as part of their training programme and in turn be able to take the knowledge, and implement similar teaching methods back at their own schools throughout the islands, ensuring the same message is being taught everywhere on the Galapagos.  What’s more the trail will also be open to tourists visiting Santa Cruz, giving them the opportunity to learn about the ecology and conservation on the islands.

This is a prime example where a small amount of funding can make a difference to quite a wide community, in this case school children and educators (with the added bonus of visiting tourists thrown into the mix).

If you would like to know more about the Galapagos Conservation Trust and the work they do, visit http://galapagosconservation.org.uk/