Why go
On Santa Cruz, Isabela, San Cristóbal and Floreana, the contrast between native habitats and introduced vegetation helps explain why conservation involves more than protecting individual animals. Goats can strip vegetation, while cats and rats threaten vulnerable wildlife. These are different problems requiring different responses, rather than one simple story of keeping people out.
The full story
Plants and animals reached the volcanic islands across the ocean long before human settlement. Later arrivals brought deliberately by people, or carried accidentally with them, changed the conditions under which native species had evolved. Introduced grazing animals can remove food and cover. Predators can attack birds, young reptiles and nests; pigs also disturb soil and vegetation while searching for food. In the humid highlands, plants such as guava and hill raspberry can spread through native vegetation. A green hillside therefore does not necessarily mean an intact native habitat. Human transport creates further connections between islands that were once much more isolated from one another. Seeds or small organisms carried in luggage and footwear can travel with visitors as well as with cargo. Cleaning your shoes before an island transfer is a small action with a direct ecological purpose. The same principle explains why baggage inspections matter: preventing a new arrival is different from trying to remove an established population later.
Useful to know
- Clean soil and seeds from footwear before travelling between islands.
- Check current biosecurity guidance before packing food, plants or other organic items.