The 7163Group will be operating from Isabela Island the week of
September 13-20, 2017 under the call HD8M. Our mission is to speak to as many stations
around the world while bringing attention to the ecological
concerns such as climate change and predators affecting the survival
of the unique animal life and vegetation of the Galapagos Islands.
"Ecological
damage caused long ago by whalers, pirates, and early settlers, and
exacerbated by more recent human activity and the presence of
aggressive introduced species, has disrupted natural biological
processes in Galapagos and endangered many wildlife species. If left
unchecked, the Islands will suffer irreversible losses of native and
endemic wildlife and plant species.
Marine wildlife and the marine ecosystem
have also been under tremendous pressure, especially due to fishing
activities of the last few decades. In addition, ever-increasing
maritime traffic and changes in ocean temperatures and currents due
to global climate change create the potential for the arrival and
establishment of increasing numbers of invasive marine species,
which will negatively impact the native ecosystem.
Galapagos penguins,
the rarest and most endangered penguin species in the world, are the
only penguins that can be found at the equator. Unlike most cold
water penguins, they have several adaptations that allow them to
tolerate the warmer climate of Galapagos. One of the reasons for
their endangered status is that limited options for nest sites exist
in the Islands. Many nests used 40 years ago either no longer exist,
are used by marine iguanas, or now get flooded.
There is now an attempt by researchers
to reverse the decline of the Galapagos penguin population, and to
strengthen the population so that it can better withstand the
impacts of more frequent and intense climate fluctuations caused by
El Niņo events."1
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