Galapagos Coral Conservation: impact, mitigation, mapping and monitoring

This special edition of Galapagos Research is devoted to research outcomes from the U.K. Government’s Darwin Initiative project 14-048 entitled Galapagos Coral Conservation: Impact Mitigation, Mapping and Monitoring. The Darwin Initiative was established in 1992, to assist countries rich in biodiversity but poor in resources to meet their obligations under the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD). The purpose of this project was therefore to assist the Ecuadorian Government, through the Galapagos National Park, in protecting the last remaining extensive Galapagos coral reefs of the northern islands as a crucial step to helping Ecuador meet its obligations under the CBD. This was achieved through the following outputs: 1. improved baseline knowledge of coral reefs and associated biodiversity of the northern GMR; 2. reduced coral damage due to the installation and establishment of permanent boat moorings; and 3. training, workshops and other capacity-building exercises, to increase the knowledge of the stakeholders participating in coral monitoring and conservation