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| Charles Darwin Research Foundation |
A "must see" destination for any visitor to the Galápagos Islands is The Charles Darwin Research Station. Once known primarily as the home of Lonesome George, now that George is gone, visitors are recognizing it for so much more: a major center for scientific study and the preservation of all species on the Galapagos Islands.
The scientists and conservationists responsible for founding the CDRS showed tremendous insight and foresight. Long before conservation and sustainability were trendy, the CDRS saw that human intervention was needed to assure survival of the diversity and uniqueness of the Galapagos Islands.
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| Tortoise Breeding Project |
This endeavour started in the 1950s when a young researcher, Irenäus Eibl-Eibesfeldt, came to the Galapagos Islands and became fascinated by the uniqueness of the islands fauna and flora, but likewise concerned about its future survival and the need for conservation. He shared
his findings with the International
Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), among other organizations, and strongly advocated for a
biological research station for study and laboratory experimentation. Originally established as a center for tortoise breeding projects, CDRS
has expanded to the forefront of organizations determined to protect
endangered species and restore them to unprotected status.
