Nature returns on the Galapagos: Release of Darwins finches marks a milestone for Rewilding Floreana

Going back several centuries, the first people on Floreana brought with them invasive predators, including rats and mice. While early whalers and pirates hunted out the Floreana Giant Tortoise, the introduced predators ate the eggs and young of Floreana's other wildlife, and many species disappeared. Some species survived only on small islets surrounding Floreana.

After more than a decade of planning, and with the full support of Floreana's 160 residents, invasive species removal began in October 2023 and was completed in December last year. Invasive species control has made Floreana safe for native plants and animals to once again thrive. The work has also benefited the residents of Floreana. Since rats and mice no longer consume their corn and papaya, their crop yields have nearly doubled.

Precautions for the protection of birds

We held five native finch species that were still present on Floreana in aviaries during the removal of invasive species.

"We built aviaries in Floreana and worked in collaboration with expert bird conservation institutions. These aviaries were carefully designed to replicate the birds' natural habitats and ensure their well-being during captivity, while removing invasive species." Victor Carrión, Island Restoration Coordinator from Jocotoco, said.

Back to nature

With promising signs that the removal of invasive species was successful, we safely released all 510 finches from captivity. We equipped a first batch of Medium Tree-finches, Small Ground-finches, Medium Ground-finches, and Cactus Finches with radio transmitters to monitor their movements and survival. Some of them started to breed immediately, testifying to their well-being. After this encouraging news, we released the remaining finches on February 22, 2024.

Eliécer Cruz Bedón grew up in Floreana. As Director of the Galapagos Program for Jocotoco, he said, "This is certainly a sign of the success of restoring Floreana 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 the Galapagos."

Roland Digby, Conservation Biologist at Durrell Wildlife Conservation Trust, who led the finch protection 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 ensuring healthy ecosystems on Floreana, acting as pollinators, seed dispersers, and controlling insect populations. The Medium Tree-finch is especially precious because it's endemic to Floreana Island - it can only be found on this island 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 their release using a state-of-the-art drone system, 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 and grow.

Upcoming species reintroductions

The removal of invasive species allows us to reintroduce twelve locally extinct endemic animal species to Floreana. These reintroductions will begin in the second half of this year, starting with the Floreana Giant Tortoise. Once thought to be extinct, genetic tests showed that ancestors of these tortoises were brought to a nearby island, Isabela, where they bred with the Wolf Volcano Tortoises. They maintained most of the genes of the Floreana tortoises, and a captive breeding program ensued.

Once the tortoises are established, we will continue reintroducing more species that went locally extinct. This includes several species of Darwin's finches, as well as the bright red Galapagos Vermilion Flycatcher, Floreana Mockingbirds (known as Darwin's muse), Lava Gulls, Barn Owls, Galápagos Hawks, and the Floreana Racer, a small snake, among others. An incredible diversity of life will soon return to Floreana.

You can help rewild Floreana by supporting our conservation efforts on the island!

Our Partners

The Floreana Island Restoration Project is led by the Galapagos National Park, the Galapagos Biosecurity Agency, and co-executed by the Fundación Jocotoco with technical assistance from Island Conservation and scientific support from the Durrell Wildlife Conservation Trust and the Charles Darwin Foundation, among other national and international institutions.

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