Noun ECOLOGY
noun: ecosystem; plural noun: ecosystems:
A biological community of interacting organisms and their physical environment. (in general use) a complex network or interconnected system.
Have you ever heard of the Galapagos Islands? If not, don’t worry, a lot of people haven’t. The Galapagos Islands are volcanic islands that are located about 600 miles off the coast of Ecuador. There are many things that make the Galapagos Islands unique, but perhaps the two most important things are its plants and animals. They cannot be found anywhere else. For that reason, in 1998, the government of Ecuador passed laws to protect the unique ecosystem that is found on the islands, creating the Galapagos Marine Reserve, which is a protected area that allows the plants and animals to flourish.
In short, an ecosystem is the way all living things interact with their environment. In the Galapagos, there is an incredible collection of animals that can’t be found anywhere else. The same can be said of the plants found there. The plants meet the unique needs of the animals. If you were to visit the islands, it would not be unusual to find hundreds of marine iguanas taking the sun on the beach or hundreds of birds on the beach at one time. But, if people continue to visit the islands and leave behind their waste or if the fishermen continue to overfish, the island’s ecosystem will be damaged beyond repair. Humans and their habits have messed up the natural processes within the islands. Unless that changes, many of the native plants and animals will be lost.
This is where the Galapagos Conservancy’s Ecosystem Restoration Project becomes important. This is a way to “rebuild healthy, balanced plant and animal communities to the way they were before humans disturbed them.” One of the most important parts of this effort is to identify the parts of the ecosystem and look at historical, current or other things that can hurt the delicate balance of the ecosystem and then figure out how to reverse them or control them.
One of their biggest projects is Project Pinta, which is protecting and rebuilding the population of the special tortoises that call the islands home.
