The Invasion of Highlands in Galá'pagos by the Red Quinine-tree Cinchona succirubra

1988 ◽  
Vol 15 (3) ◽  
pp. 215-220 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ian A.W. Macdonald ◽  
Luis Ortiz ◽  
Jonas E. Lawesson ◽  
J. Bosco Nowak
Keyword(s):  
Biological Control ◽  
National Park ◽  
National Park Service ◽  
Control Area ◽  
Control Measures ◽  
Santa Cruz Island ◽  
Santa Cruz ◽  
Park Service ◽  
Highland Vegetation ◽  
Intensive Control

The alien tree species Cinchona succirubra, the Red Quinine-tree (Rubiaceae), was introduced to the Galápagos Islands, Ecuador, in 1946, for purposes of cultivation, but causes much concern as, by 1987, it was found to cover about 4,000 hectares in the highlands of Santa Cruz Island, changing the original, largely endemic, vegetation. Some limited herbicide trials have been made by the Galápagos National Park Service, but a really successful method of controlling this pest still remains to be found.The removal of Cinchona plants from a 1000-ha Intensive Control Area (ICA) within the Galápagos National Park has been successful to date. However, large stands of the tree exist in the adjacent agricultural area of Santa Cruz Island, as well as elsewhere in the National Park. With the maturation of these stands, an increased input of Cinchona succirubra seeds to the ICA can be anticipated.Strengthened use of manual, chemical, and biological, control measures are therefore recommended on a shortterm basis, in order to conserve the unique highland vegetation of Santa Cruz Island, Galápagos.

scholarly journals Human-caused and natural mortality of giant tortoises in the Galapagos Islands during 1995-2004

Oryx ◽  
2007 ◽  
Vol 41 (3) ◽  
pp. 337-342 ◽  
Author(s):  
Cruz Márquez ◽  
David A. Wiedenfeld ◽  
Sandra Landázuri ◽  
Juan Chávez
Keyword(s):  
National Park ◽  
National Park Service ◽  
Charles Darwin ◽  
Galapagos Islands ◽  
Research Station ◽  
Natural Mortality ◽  
Galápagos Islands ◽  
Santa Cruz Island ◽  
Santa Cruz ◽  
Park Service

AbstractAlthough the killing of giant tortoises in the Galapagos Islands has been prohibited since 1933, poaching of tortoises still occurs. Personnel of the Galapagos National Park Service and the Charles Darwin Research Station regularly survey populations of tortoises throughout the archipelago and report all dead tortoises found. For the 10-year period 1995–2004 the field personnel reported evidence of 190 giant tortoises killed, primarily on the southern portion of Isabela Island. For the first 6 years the number of tortoises found killed was <15 per year, but since 2001 the number killed has increased dramatically, with 49 tortoises poached in 2004. During the same 10 years the number of tortoises found dead from natural causes was 131. Many of these deaths can be attributed to events associated with the 1997–1998 El Niño or with outbreaks of disease on Santa Cruz Island in 1996 and 1999. The results indicate that poaching exceeds natural mortality, and is a significant factor affecting these long-lived and slow-reproducing animals. Environmental education efforts in the human population of southern Isabela appear to have had little effect. Because tortoise poaching takes place at a small number of sites, effective enforcement at those sites could reduce killing of tortoises.

Island Time

2014 ◽  
Vol 4 (3) ◽  
pp. 103-112
Author(s):  
Peter S. Alagona
Keyword(s):  
National Park ◽  
National Park Service ◽  
Santa Cruz Island ◽  
Nature Conservancy ◽  
Ecological History ◽  
Natural Reserve ◽  
Park Service ◽  
History Of ◽  
The University ◽  
Reserve System

This essay looks at the history of Santa Cruz Island and preservation and conservation efforts there through the work of the National Park Service, the Nature Conservancy, and the University of California Natural Reserve System. Alagona argues that these efforts are sometimes counterproductive because they rely on incomplete or outmoded understanding of the island’s human and ecological history. A better understanding of how history, culture, and nature shaped each other would lead to more complete conversation and better land management decisions.

Philanthropy and the National Park Service

2013 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jacqueline Vaughn ◽  
Hanna J. Cortner
Keyword(s):  
National Park ◽  
National Park Service ◽  
Park Service

A Question Of Relevance

2020 ◽  
Vol 42 (2) ◽  
pp. 101-123
Author(s):  
Michael A. Capps
Keyword(s):  
National Park ◽  
National Park Service ◽  
Interpretive Approach ◽  
Park Service ◽  
Educational Component

Lincoln Boyhood National Memorial is an example of one memorial site that has successfully managed to retain relevance for nearly one hundred years by adapting to changes in scholarship and the expectations of its visitors. Initially created as a purely commemorative site, it has evolved into one where visitors can actively engage with the Lincoln story. By embracing an interpretive approach to managing the site, the National Park Service has been able to add an educational component to the experience of visiting the memorial that complements its commemorative nature.

Remembering the Battle of Pezi Sla (Greasy Grass—aka Little Bighorn) with the Lakota, Northern Cheyenne, and Arapaho Victory Riders: An Autoethnographic Photo Essay

2021 ◽  
pp. 153270862199112
Author(s):  
Elena Tajima Creef ◽  
Carl J. Petersen
Keyword(s):  
American History ◽  
National Park ◽  
National Park Service ◽  
Northern Cheyenne ◽  
Park Service ◽  
Photo Essay

If one travels to Little Bighorn Battlefield National Park in late June, one can witness at least three events that simultaneously take place each year commemorating what has been called “one of the great mythic and mysterious military battles of American history” (Frosch, 2010). The National Park Service rangers give “battle talks” on the hour to visiting tourists. Two miles away, the privately run U.S. Cavalry School also performs a scripted reenactment called “Custer’s Last Ride”—with riders who have been practicing all week to play the role of soldiers from the doomed regiment of Custer’s 7th Cavalry. On this same day, a traveling band of men, women, and youth from the Lakota, Northern Cheyenne, and Arapaho Nations who have journeyed by horseback and convoy from the Dakotas and Wyoming will reach Last Stand Hill to remember this “Victory Day” from 1876—one that historians have called the “last stand of the Indians” during the period of conflict known as the “Great Sioux War.” This photo essay offers an autoethnographic account of what some have dubbed the annual “Victory Ride” to Montana based upon my participation as a non-Native supporter of this Ride in 2017, 2018, and 2019.

scholarly journals Social media reveal ecoregional variation in how weather influences visitor behavior in U.S. National Park Service units

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Emily J. Wilkins ◽  
Peter D. Howe ◽  
Jordan W. Smith
Keyword(s):  
National Park ◽  
National Park Service ◽  
Spatial Behavior ◽  
Maximum Temperature ◽  
Daily Maximum Temperature ◽  
Daily Maximum ◽  
Daily Weather ◽  
Visitor Behavior ◽  
Park Service ◽  
The Impact

AbstractDaily weather affects total visitation to parks and protected areas, as well as visitors’ experiences. However, it is unknown if and how visitors change their spatial behavior within a park due to daily weather conditions. We investigated the impact of daily maximum temperature and precipitation on summer visitation patterns within 110 U.S. National Park Service units. We connected 489,061 geotagged Flickr photos to daily weather, as well as visitors’ elevation and distance to amenities (i.e., roads, waterbodies, parking areas, and buildings). We compared visitor behavior on cold, average, and hot days, and on days with precipitation compared to days without precipitation, across fourteen ecoregions within the continental U.S. Our results suggest daily weather impacts where visitors go within parks, and the effect of weather differs substantially by ecoregion. In most ecoregions, visitors stayed closer to infrastructure on rainy days. Temperature also affects visitors’ spatial behavior within parks, but there was not a consistent trend across ecoregions. Importantly, parks in some ecoregions contain more microclimates than others, which may allow visitors to adapt to unfavorable conditions. These findings suggest visitors’ spatial behavior in parks may change in the future due to the increasing frequency of hot summer days.

scholarly journals Body size, sex and high philopatry influence the use of agricultural land by Galapagos giant tortoises

Oryx ◽  
2021 ◽  
pp. 1-10
Author(s):  
Kyana N. Pike ◽  
Stephen Blake ◽  
Freddy Cabrera ◽  
Iain J. Gordon ◽  
Lin Schwarzkopf
Keyword(s):  
National Park ◽  
Agricultural Land ◽  
Large Male ◽  
Gps Data ◽  
Santa Cruz Island ◽  
Santa Cruz ◽  
Agricultural Areas ◽  
On Farm ◽  
Human Wildlife Conflict ◽  
Privately Owned

Abstract As agricultural areas expand, interactions between wild animals and farmland are increasing. Understanding the nature of such interactions is vital to inform the management of human–wildlife coexistence. We investigated patterns of space use of two Critically Endangered Galapagos tortoise species, Chelonoidis porteri and Chelonoidis donfaustoi, on privately owned and agricultural land (hereafter farms) on Santa Cruz Island, where a human–wildlife conflict is emerging. We used GPS data from 45 tortoises tracked for up to 9 years, and data on farm characteristics, to identify factors that influence tortoise movement and habitat use in the agricultural zone. Sixty-nine per cent of tagged tortoises used the agricultural zone, where they remained for a mean of 150 days before returning to the national park. Large male tortoises were more likely to use farms for longer periods than female and smaller individuals. Tortoises were philopatric (mean overlap of farmland visits = 88.7 ± SE 2.9%), on average visiting four farms and occupying a mean seasonal range of 2.9 ± SE 0.3 ha. We discuss the characteristics of farm use by tortoises, and its implications for tortoise conservation and coexistence with people.

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