Back to nature: Release of finches marks a milestone for the Floreana Project

The Floreana Island Restoration Project is led by the Galapagos National Park, the Galapagos Biosecurity Agency and co-executed by the Jocotoco Conservation Foundation with technical assistance from Island Conservation and scientific support from the Durrell Wildlife Conservation Trust, and the Charles Darwin Foundation, among other important national and international institutions. Working hand-in-hand and in collaboration with the Floreana community, these partners strive to realize the vision of an ecologically prosperous and sustainable Floreana through the removal of invasive species and the reintroduction of twelve locally extinct native animal species, including the Floreana Giant Tortoise, Vermilion Flycatcher, and the Floreana Mockingbird (known as Darwin's Muse).

After more than a decade of planning, the removal of invasive species began in October 2023 and was completed in December 2023. Removing invasive species will make Floreana Island safe for native plants and animals to once again flourish. While the removal of invasive species was in progress, finches were held safely in both the lowlands and highlands under careful watch by park rangers and conservationists.

Precautions for the protection of birds

In October 2017, a workshop brought together national and international experts to discuss specific strategies and measures for the care of native and endemic wildlife species that could be at risk during the invasive species removal process.

In response to these risks, in-situ captive management was chosen as a key protection measure for five finch species. "We designed and built aviaries in Floreana and worked in collaboration with expert bird conservation institutions. These aviaries were carefully designed to replicate the birds' natural conditions and ensure their well-being during captivity, while removing invasive species." Victor Carrión, island restoration coordinator from Jocotoco, mentioned.

Back to nature

With promising signs that the removal of invasive species was successful, the Galapagos National Park Directorate, Durrell Wildlife Conservation Trust, Island Conservation, the Konrad Lorenz Research Center for Behavior and Cognition at the University of Vienna, and Jocotoco Foundation safely released all finches from captivity -- 170 finches into the highlands and 340 into the lowlands, with a few Medium Tree-finches, Small Ground-finches, Medium Ground-finches and Cactus Finches wearing radio transmitters. The finches were released in waves, with the final population released on February 22, 2024.

Eliécer Cruz Bedón, Director of the Galapagos Program of the Jocotoco Conservation Foundation, mentioned, "This is certainly a sign of the success of the invasive species eradication work and the positive results we are beginning to see on the island. This is the first step in getting Floreana to flourish again, and the collaboration of everyone involved in this project is critical to the continued success of ecological restoration in Galapagos."

Roland Digby, Conservation Biologist at Durrell Wildlife Conservation Trust, who led the finch captivity work said the release of the birds was exhilarating and rewarding. "Releasing these finches onto an island full of food (thanks to the rain) and without predators is incredibly satisfying. This is the moment we've been working toward."

All of these finch species are essential to flora and fauna flourishing on Floreana, acting as pollinators, seed dispersers, and insect population control. The Medium Tree-finch is especially rare and precious because it's endemic to Floreana Island - it can only be found there and nowhere else in the world.

The Konrad Lorenz Research Center for Behavior and Cognition, a core facility of the University of Vienna is leading the monitoring of these finches upon release using a state-of-the-art drone system developed by Wildlife Drones, which can track up to 40 birds at a time. This will allow the team to measure the success of the restoration and watch these populations re-establish, grow, and flourish.

This project was made possible with support from Rewild, Blue Action Fund, NFWF, Bezos Earth Fund, Durrel, Darwin Initiative, GEF/CAF, FIAS/FEIG, COmON Foundation/Charles Darwin Foundation, Lindblad Expeditions-National Geographic Fund, Canodros, Splendor.