Work in Conservation of Native Species

Be more than a mere tourist who travel to the Galapagos Islands every year only to take some exciting photos! Como to Galapagos to contribute to the conservation of natural habitats in this fragile ecosystem and help protect endemic flora and fauna. By volunteering on the Galapagos Islands, you also get involved in local communities and help with environmental education.

This volunteer project in the Galapagos Islands gives you the unique opportunity to spend several weeks on these famous islands.

The Galapagos Islands are home to around 500 native plant species, over 700 species have been introduced! The island of San Cristobal is located about 960 kilometers from the mainland in the Pacific. The Humboldt, Cromwell and Panama currents cross here, which means that the Galapagos Islands are extremely diverse. In recent decades, the Galapagos Islands have seen a higher birth rate and an increasing number of tourists. This led to a much higher demand for food and other products. Endimic nature and plants had to give way to agriculture and livestock farming! The Galapagos Islands, however, could not produce enough to meet the increasing demand. For this reason, the government had to allow imports from the mainland, which had fatal consequences. With the imports of (fresh) food and agricultural products came non-endemic species such as the blackberry (spreads very quickly) but also many plant pests on the island and threaten the native flora and fauna.

An important part of the volunteer project on the island of San Cristobal in the Galapagos is to counter the spread of these species in order to protect the local flora and fauna. The project is pursuing various approaches for this goal:

1. Eradicating imported plants

2. Reforestation of endemic plants

3. Promoting a sustainable lifestyle

4. Education of the population

5. Community work (construction work, environmental education, English lessons, etc.)

This volunteer project is your chance to get to know the Galapagos Islands the way normal tourists are not able to see. Help to preserve this unique spot on earth and to fight the problems of mass tourism.

Volunteers on the Galapagos Islands are working to reverse the negative effects that the introduction of non-native plant species had on local flora. The previous volunteers have made a major contribution to current reforestation projects and the results can already be clearly seen. Introduced plants were carefully removed and endemic plants were first grown in the greenhouse and then transplanted outdoors.

The volunteers also support various development projects in local communities. Environmental education is very successful here.

The tasks of the volunteers are diverse and mainly have to do with the areas of reforestation, research and community work. Possible works are:

- Eradication of imported plants (Mora, Guayaba and Superroza)

- Forestation with native plants

- Working in the greenhouse and gardens (sowing native plants / planting fruits and vegetables)

- Supporting the local community (painting schools, cleaning of beaches and parks, etc.)

- Assistance in teaching English, computer skills, sports, etc.

Working in this volunteer project requires physical labor. But you will quickly notice how stress-relieving and good for the soul this can be!

To prevent people from working too hard during the hot midday hours, the working days in this volunteer project start early with a hearty breakfast at 6.30 a.m. When the work ends in the afternoon, the volunteers have time to explore the island, relax in the hammocks, chill out or stroll through the harbor.

​​Note: The tasks may vary. They depend on factors such as number of volunteers, weather, season, current needs of the project, as well as self-motivation. Not every volunteer may be fully involved in all these tasks.

After a long day of hard work, evenings are quiet and volunteers usually spend them lounging in hammocks, chatting, listening to music, writing or reading. In your free time you can also go swimming, hiking and play sports. It's possible to do diving and snorkeling.

The local volunteer coordinators are always available for assistance and guidance for the volunteer projects and spare time activities. There are times when there are only two or three other volunteers, while on other occasions there are large groups, so be prepared for the variety of people that you will meet and work with.

The Galapagos Islands offer many opportunities for cultural activities and escapes into the nature. You have the possibility to observe the Island's endemic wildlife, animals that do not exist somewhere else!

You can do many water activities like swimming, snorkeling, kayak, surfing, diving and you can take boat trips to other islands.