Effective Conservation of Protected Areas of Galapagos, through Strengthening of Control and Surveillance of the Galapagos Marine Reserve and the Eradication of Invasive Predators from Floreana Island To safeguard the biodiversity of Galapagos Protected Areas by managing threats to terrestrial and marine biodiversity Note: Disbursement data provided is cumulative and covers disbursement made by the project Agency. The main socioeconomic benefits to be delivered by the project are described below, by project component.  Component 1  Freshwater is a very limited resource on Floreana Island, and the Galapagos Islands in general. Floreana Island’s 140 human residents, livestock, and wildlife are largely dependent on the health of just two freshwater springs. Eradicating invasive rodents will help protect these springs by increasing vegetation cover across the island. This will convert eroded soils back into a ’sponge,’ causing the groundwater layers to rise rather than fall. Capture of sea-fog (locally known as ‘garua’) will be enhanced, resulting in more substantial precipitation. Additionally, increasing vegetation cover will reduce the temperature of the air column above the island, causing water vapor to condense, and thereby increasing rainfall. The net effect will be a positive increase in freshwater availability.  Eradicating invasive rodents and feral cats on Floreana Island will also promote recovery of native vegetation, which, in turn, will help maintain and re-establish the native fauna and secure the livelihoods of local people dependent on these habitats and their services. Habitat recovery will create the conditions necessary for the reintroduction of endemic species extirpated from the island. The more intact Floreana Island’s ecosystems are, the greater their capacity to adapt to future environmental disturbance, including climate change.  The invasive alien rodents on Floreana Island deplete food supplies through the destruction of in-field crops, depredation of stored food and seed, and faecal contamination. The rodent impact is so substantial that entire fields of maize and cassava (locally called yuca) can be devastated even though rodent control measures are being actively applied. Eradication of invasive rats and mice will completely eliminate these crop losses. Invasive alien rodents also have a negative impact on fisheries through the consumption of inter-tidal species such as chiton and the endemic shellfish locally called ‘churo.’ The residents of Floreana Island are directly dependent on these marine resources.  Removal of feral cats and invasive rodents will eliminate primary vectors of diseases on Floreana Island, helping to safeguard the health of Floreana Island’s wildlife, livestock, residents, and tourists. Invasive alien rodents are often attracted to human-built infrastructure. They feed, chew holes, urinate, defecate and nest in areas occupied by people. The presence of rodents in commensal areas can lead to an increased risk of disease, including lymphocytic clorio-meningitis, plague, leptospirosis, hantavirus, and salmonellosis. Once rodents are removed from commensal areas, the hygiene of a building and its contents can be better managed and human and animal health secured.  Feral cats also serve as reservoirs and critical hosts of parasites and disease and often live in the vicinity of human dwellings in order to take advantage of rodent populations and shelter. Cats carry several diseases in the Galapagos Islands that can infect both humans and wildlife. For example, cats are the critical host for Toxoplasma gondii, commonly known as the disease ‘toxoplasmosis.’ On Floreana Island, toxoplasmosis is a threat to human residents and visitors, as well as the endemic Galapagos sea lions (Zalophus wollebaeki), Galapagos penguins (Spheniscus mendiculus), and other wildlife. Symptoms of toxoplasmosis in native fauna include poor coordination, blindness, lethargy, respiratory and enteric distress, and sudden death. In infected people, similar symptoms are exhibited and may include spontaneous abortions.  The recovery of Floreana Island ecosystems (particularly the recovery of endemic species) has the potential to increase ecotourism income to the benefit of Floreana Island residents and other Ecuadorians. The Floreana community is in the process of developing a community-based tourism approach that is reliant on the natural and cultural resources of the island.     Component 2  Conservation of marine resources based on an approach that succeeds in achieving something approximating a sustainable yield harvest may impose short-term costs on artisanal and other commercial fishermen but is likely to enable very significant long-term benefits. At the same time, such strategies can also support biodiversity conservation objectives. In the case of Galapagos and many other fisheries not characterized by fully effective community self-management systems, these benefits are more likely to accrue in a context of active enforcement which is active enough to remove incentives to rule-breaking.   Artisanal fishers are permitted to fish within the RMG. National fisheries are now recognizing the spill-over benefits to the sustainability of commercial fish species outside the MPA[1]. Positive ‘spill-in’ effects have also been quantified for yellowfin tuna and other pelagic fish which are harvested year-round by artisanal fishers[2].          [1] See,, e.g. Bucaram, et al. 2018 Assessing fishing effects inside and outside an MPA: The impact of the Galapagos Marine Reserve on the Industrial pelagic tuna fisheries during the first decade of operation. Marine Policy 87: 212-225.      [2] Unpublished analyses by Franz Smith and Alex Hearn.