How can the effects of El Nino in Galapagos illuminate for the rest of the world?
Due to conservation awareness, and a historically small human population, the effects of invasive species and human influence can be studied in detail. Islands are a scale version of larger ecosystems and arguably less resistant to environmental change. Essentially, Galapagos is a microcosm for the changes inflicted by El Nino we at the CDF like to call the archipelago a living laboratory for science. In fact, one of our flagship projects for 2009 seeks to predict the range of possible impacts of climate change on the Galapagos and identify measures which can be implemented to stabilize populations of native species and their ecosystems. These investigations have the potential to serve as a barometer for various climate change scenarios. In other words, scientists can extend these results to predict what may happen on a greater scale worldwide in the future.
