USAID operational program grant to the Charles Darwin Foundation for implementation of the plant conservation for the Galapagos Islands project

CDRS will: help to control invasion of exotic biota; promote agroforestry outside of the National Park; conduct applied conservation research and develop a geographic information system (GIS); and disseminate information and provide training to park managers and national scientists. To prevent the further introduction of invasive species by cargo boats and planes, nationals, and tourists, CDSR will: develop a quarantine program, expand its ongoing public awareness program, and develop a plan for the Ecuadorian government to control or eliminate existing alien plants throughout the archipelago. Secondly, CDSR will seek to promote agroforestry outside of the National Park in order to reduce pressure on the Park; activities will include farmer training, research in CDSR"s nursery, and trial agroforestry projects. Thirdly, CDSR will conduct applied research on such topics as the effects of introduced animals on endemic floral species and determination of the distribution of alien and endemic floral species. CDSR will also develop a GIS for the Galapagos. Based on the information from the GIS, and on CDSR"s many years of research experience in the Galapagos, CDSR will develop models of the interaction between tourism and biological diversity in the Galapagos to guide management decisions. Finally, CDSR will translate in Spanish, then publish and disseminate proceedings of the 1987 International Botanical Workshop on the Galapagos, principally to park managers in the Galapagos and elsewhere in Ecuador.