Island Ecosystems

Sustainable development is a process to improve the quality of life of people while maintaining the ability of social-ecological systems to continue to provide valuable ecological services that social systems require. In the Galapagos Islands, the maintenance of amenity resources to support tourism and the quality of life of residents is explicitly linked to ecosystem goods and services, particularly, the accessibility to high-quality natural environments and the terrestrial and marine visitation sites that showcase iconic species.

On June 26-30, 2022, the Galapagos Science Center celebrated its 10-year anniversary. As the crowning event of the anniversary celebration, the World Summit on Island Sustainability was held on San Cristobal Island, Galapagos Archipelago of Ecuador. The intent of the World Summit was to bring together leading experts on island ecosystems and, particularly, on island sustainability from across the globe to represent a diversity of perspectives, approaches, and stakeholder groups. The World Summit was an exclusive event that featured an "expert convening" of scholars and practitioners to address the social, terrestrial, and marine sub-systems of the Galapagos Islands and other similarly challenged island ecosystems from around the globe. The World Summit attracted 150 scientists to the Galapagos Islands to discuss projects conducted, for instance, in the Galapagos Islands, Hawaii, Guam, French Polynesia, Chile, Australia, and the Caribbean Islands.

Foreword (Ashlan Cousteau)
Preface (Don Hobart)

Part I: UNC & USFQ Galapagos Science Center, 10th Year Anniversary
Chapter 1. Connected Places and Social-Ecological Forces that Impact Small Island Sustainability: An Essay (Stephen J. Walsh and Carlos F. Mena)

Part II: Communique of the World Summit on Island Sustainability
Chapter 2. Goals and Objectives of the World Summit on Island Sustainability (Stephen J. Walsh and Carlos F. Mena)

Part III: Island Ecosystems - Challenges to Sustainability
Chapter 3. Globalization and the Challenging Political Economy of Governing (and Researching) Islands in Contemporary Times (Juan Pablo Luna)
Chapter 4. Changing Land Use in Island Countries: A Meta Perspective on Effects of Demographic Processes and Tourism (Richard E. Bilsborrow)
Chapter 5. Pacific Island Perspectives on Invasive Species and Climate Change (Laura Brewington, Bradley Eichelberger, Nicole Read, Elliott Parsons, Heather Kerkering, Christy Martin, Wendy Miles, Jacques Idechong, Jeff Burgett)
Chapter 6. On-the-Ground Solutions to Help People and Wildlife in a Changing Climate (Nikhil Advani)

Part IV: Island Ecosystems - Social Sub-Systems
Chapter 7. Climate and Health Challenges in Small Island States: Identifying Vulnerability in Water and Food Resources in the Galapagos Islands, Ecuador (Amanda L. Thompson, Jill Stewart, Margaret Bentley, Jaime Ocampo, Enrique Teran and Valeria Ochoa)
Chapter 8. Improvements in the Galapagos Health System: Telemedicine, Research, and Medical Assistants (Jaime Eduardo Ocampo Trujillo and Maria Emilia Menoscal Coello)
Chapter 9. Social Issues in the Galapagos Islands: A Participatory and Exploratory Study (Gina Chowa, Cindy Fraga Rizzo, Amanda Thompson, Margaret Bentley and Mimi Chapman)
Chapter 10. Towards Increased Island Food System Resilience: Lessons Learned from the COVID-19 Pandemic (Khristopher M. Nicholas, Margaret E. Bentley, Clare Barrington and Amanda L. Thompson)
Chapter 11. Understanding the Impacts of a Natural Disaster: Evidence from the 2004 Indian Ocean Tsunami (Elizabeth Frankenberg, Cecep Sumantri and Duncan Thomas)

Part V: Island Ecosystems - Terrestrial Sub-Systems
Chapter 12. Unraveling the Interactions between Endemic and Invasive Plant Species in the Galapagos Islands (Maria de Lourdes Torres, Diego Urquia, Leonie Moyle, Matt Gibson, Todd Vision and Bryan Reatini)
Chapter 13. Galapagos Land Snails and Environmental Sustainability (Stella de la Torre & Isabel Villarruel-Oviedo)
Chapter 14. Galapagos Petrels Conservation Helps Transition Towards a Sustainable Future (Leo Zurita Arthos, Carolina Proano, Jonathan Guillen, Sebastian Cruz and David Wiedenfeld)
Chapter 15. Impact of Weathering and Mineralogy on the Chemistry of Soils from San Cristobal Island, Galapagos (Xiao-Ming Liu, Heather D. Hanna and Julia G. Barzyk)
Chapter 16. Mapping Narratives of Agricultural Land Use Practices in the Galapagos (Francisco Laso & Javier Arce-Nazario)
Chapter 17. Land Use and Land Cover Change: Economic and Natural Drivers (Madeline Giefer)

Part VI: Island Ecosystems - Marine Sub-Systems
Chapter 18. Common Oversights in the Design and Monitoring of Ecosystem-Based Management Plans and the Siting of Marine Protected Areas (Sergio A. Navarrete, Christopher M. Aiken, M. Isidora Avila-Thieme, Daniel Valencia, Alexandre Genin and Stefan Gelcich)
Chapter 19. Levels of Upwelling are Important to Consider for Conservation (Michael J Kingsford, Margarita Brandt and Juan-Manuel Alava)
Chapter 20. Ten Years of Wildlife Health and Conservation in the Galapagos, 2013-2022 (Gregory A. Lewbart, Juan Pablo Munoz-Perez, Diego Paez-Rosas, Carlos Valle, Daniela Alarcon Ruales Maximilian Hirschfeld, Diane Deresienski and Kenneth J. Lohmann)
Chapter 21. Challenges in the Application of the Ecosystem Approach to Fisheries Management in the Galapagos Islands (Marjorie Riofrio-Lazo, Manuel J. Zetina-Rejon, Gunter Reck, Diego Paez-Rosas and Francisco Arreguin-Sanchez)
Chapter 22. Cetaceans of the Galapagos Archipelago: Species in Constant Change and the Importance of a Standardized and Long-Term Citizen Science (Daniela Alarcon-Ruales, Judith Denkinger, Leo Zurita, Salome Herrera C, Santiago Diaz-Pazmino, Eduardo Espinoza; Juan Pablo Munoz-Perez; Bonnie Holmes; Kathy A. Townsend)
Chapter 23. Establishing Comparable Health Baselines for Marine Turtle Populations (Caitlin E. Smith, Ben L. Gilby, Juan Pablo Munoz-Perez, Jason P. van de Merwe, Kathy A. Townsend)

Part VII: Island Ecosystems - Interdisciplinary Science for Sustainability
Chapter 24. An Agent-Based Model of Household Livelihood Strategies in the Galapagos Islands: Impact of Jobs in Fishing, Fishing Restrictions, and Fishing Deregulation on Household Employment Decisions (Stephen J. Walsh & Carlos F. Mena)
Chapter 25. The Role for Scientific Collections and Public Museums in Island Conservation (John Dumbacher and Jaime Chaves)
Chapter 26. The Museum Effect: Platforms for Advocacy and Sustainability in Insular Environments (Eric Dorfman, Javan Sutton, and Bryan L. Stuart)
Chapter 27. Microgrids: An Opportunity for Sustainable Developments on Islands (Noah Kittner)

Part VIII: Island Sustainability: Paths Forward in the Galapagos & Beyond
Chapter 28. Island Digital Ecosystem Avatars (IDEA) Consortium: Infrastructure for Democratic Ecological Action (Neil Davies)
Chapter 29. Galapagos Genetic Barcode: A Model for Island Economic Resilience During COVID-19 Pandemic (Jaime A. Chaves, Camille Bonneaud, Andy Russell, Carlos F. Mena, Carolina Proano, Diego A. Ortiz, Marilyn Cruz, Alberto Velez, Jen Jones, Tom Chaigneau and Diana A. Pazmino)
Chapter 30. Island Innovation: Transitioning Towards a Circular Economy for Plastics in Galapagos, Ecuador (Jen S. Jones, Jess Howard, Tamara S. Galloway, Lucia Norris and Sol Espinosa)
Chapter 31. From Building Resilience to Adaptive Transformation: Exploring the Rationale for Inclusive Governance in Galapagos (Maria Soledad Garcia Ferrari, Amelia A. Bain and Stephanie Crane De Narvaez)
Chapter 32. The Extinction Market: Reflections on the Possible Future of the Illegal Galapagos Wildlife Trade (Evelyn Vega Barrera, Diego Quiroga Ferri and Carlos F. Mena)

Index