Ecuador's Galapagos Islands Face Many Threats
2024-08-08
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1The Galapagos, a group of islands in the Eastern Pacific Ocean, are coming under increased pressure.
2Observers say climate change and invasive species threaten wildlife on and around the islands, which are part of the South American country of Ecuador.
3Warming ocean waters affect the food sources of many of the sea animals around the Galapagos.
4Marine iguanas are one of many species that are unique to the Galapagos.
5The reptiles have a harder time finding the food they prefer - red and green algae.
6A recent Associated Press (AP) report said sea turtles struggle to nest in warmer temperatures.
7Raising young gets harder as water warms and fewer nutrients are available.
8"We have something of everything here - that's why people say the Galapagos is so diverse - but we have a small number of each thing," said Natasha Cabezas, a naturalist guide.
9The Galapagos Islands are famous for animals that were studied by Charles Darwin in the 1800s.
10He developed the theory that living things change over large amounts of time.
11The group of islands is where major ocean currents meet - cool water from the south, warm water from the north, and a cold current from the west.
12In addition to those, there is El Niño, the periodic and natural Pacific Ocean warming that affects weather worldwide.
13While temperatures depend on the season and other natural climate events, scientists say ocean temperatures have been rising.
14They blame climate change caused by human activities.
15Some scientists say the ocean has reached its warmest level since at least the 1800s within the last 10 years.
16The U.S. space agency NASA says 2023 was the ocean's warmest year on record.
17In the Southern Hemisphere, June is the first month of winter.
18One of the ocean currents, the Cromwell current, brings sea creatures like whale sharks, hammerheads, and sunfish to the surface.
19It also provides nutrients for penguins, marine iguanas and sea lions in search of food.
20Scientists are studying how the past year's El Niño affected those creatures.
21El Niño can bring food shortages for some species like marine iguanas and sea turtles.
22Scientists observing the species have noted a decrease in their populations during El Niño events.
23Marine iguanas were "one of the most affected species from El Niño last year and right now they are still recovering," said Galapagos Conservancy Director Jorge Carrión.
24As rising ocean temperatures threaten sea life, on land there is a different problem.
25Animals - cats, dogs, pigs, goats and cattle, none of them native - are threatening the unique species of the islands.
26After the COVID-19 pandemic, many people left dogs and cats they had been taking care of, Cabezas said.
27"If you don't take care of them, they become a problem and now it's a shame to see dogs everywhere.
28We have a big problem right now I don't know what we're going to do," she said.
29The non-native animals are a special threat to the giant tortoises of the Galapagos.
30The tortoises almost disappeared in the 1800s because of hunting. Officials have tried to protect them from humans.
31It has been illegal to kill a giant tortoise since 1933.
32"In one night, a feral pig can destroy all nesting sites in an area," Carrión said.
33Park rangers try to visit areas with nesting sites once a day and kill pigs when they find them.
34But the pigs are difficult to find, Carrion said.
35Feral cats feed on young marine iguanas, and both pigs and cats compete for food with the tortoises.
36Plastic is also a widespread problem in the world's oceans.
37One recent study reported microplastics in the bellies of Galapagos penguins.
38"There are no animals in the Galapagos that do not have microplastics in their food," Carrión said.
39I'm John Russell.
1The Galapagos, a group of islands in the Eastern Pacific Ocean, are coming under increased pressure. 2Observers say climate change and invasive species threaten wildlife on and around the islands, which are part of the South American country of Ecuador. 3Warming ocean waters affect the food sources of many of the sea animals around the Galapagos. 4Marine iguanas are one of many species that are unique to the Galapagos. The reptiles have a harder time finding the food they prefer - red and green algae. A recent Associated Press (AP) report said sea turtles struggle to nest in warmer temperatures. Raising young gets harder as water warms and fewer nutrients are available. 5"We have something of everything here - that's why people say the Galapagos is so diverse - but we have a small number of each thing," said Natasha Cabezas, a naturalist guide. 6A changing climate 7The Galapagos Islands are famous for animals that were studied by Charles Darwin in the 1800s. He developed the theory that living things change over large amounts of time. 8The group of islands is where major ocean currents meet - cool water from the south, warm water from the north, and a cold current from the west. In addition to those, there is El Niño, the periodic and natural Pacific Ocean warming that affects weather worldwide. 9While temperatures depend on the season and other natural climate events, scientists say ocean temperatures have been rising. They blame climate change caused by human activities. 10Some scientists say the ocean has reached its warmest level since at least the 1800s within the last 10 years. The U.S. space agency NASA says 2023 was the ocean's warmest year on record. 11In the Southern Hemisphere, June is the first month of winter. One of the ocean currents, the Cromwell current, brings sea creatures like whale sharks, hammerheads, and sunfish to the surface. It also provides nutrients for penguins, marine iguanas and sea lions in search of food. 12Scientists are studying how the past year's El Niño affected those creatures. 13El Niño can bring food shortages for some species like marine iguanas and sea turtles. Scientists observing the species have noted a decrease in their populations during El Niño events. 14Marine iguanas were "one of the most affected species from El Niño last year and right now they are still recovering," said Galapagos Conservancy Director Jorge Carrión. 15Invasive species 16As rising ocean temperatures threaten sea life, on land there is a different problem. Animals - cats, dogs, pigs, goats and cattle, none of them native - are threatening the unique species of the islands. 17After the COVID-19 pandemic, many people left dogs and cats they had been taking care of, Cabezas said. 18"If you don't take care of them, they become a problem and now it's a shame to see dogs everywhere. We have a big problem right now I don't know what we're going to do," she said. 19The non-native animals are a special threat to the giant tortoises of the Galapagos. The tortoises almost disappeared in the 1800s because of hunting. Officials have tried to protect them from humans. It has been illegal to kill a giant tortoise since 1933. 20"In one night, a feral pig can destroy all nesting sites in an area," Carrión said. Park rangers try to visit areas with nesting sites once a day and kill pigs when they find them. But the pigs are difficult to find, Carrion said. 21Feral cats feed on young marine iguanas, and both pigs and cats compete for food with the tortoises. 22Plastic is also a widespread problem in the world's oceans. One recent study reported microplastics in the bellies of Galapagos penguins. 23"There are no animals in the Galapagos that do not have microplastics in their food," Carrión said. 24I'm John Russell. 25Alie Skowronski reported on this story for the Associated Press. John Russell adapted it for VOA Learning English. 26_____________________________________________ 27Words in This Story 28species - n. a class of creatures having common attributes and designated by a common name 29source -n. the place from which something, such as food, comes 30unique - adj. being the only one; being without a like or equal 31reptile -n. an animal with scales that lays eggs and needs sunlight to increase its body temperature to become active 32nest -v. to make a place where eggs can be laid or where young can be raised 33diverse -adj. containing many different kinds of things, such as plants and animals 34shame - n. something to be regretted 35feral - adj. having escaped from domestication and become wild