About the Galapagos Conservancy

Our Mission

Galapagos Conservancy (GC) is dedicated exclusively to the long-term protection of the Galapagos Islands. This single focus allows us to maximize the impact of the financial investments of our members, who include individuals and institutions that care deeply about the Galapagos Islands and understand the scientific importance of preserving this extraordinary ecosystem.

Collectively, our members represent the largest source of private funding for Galapagos conservation. Our direct support to on-the-ground research and management has more than doubled since 2004. We are committed to strengthening local institutions and to creating local capacity to ensure long-term protection of the archipelago.

We leverage our resources by working in close partnership with many allies, the most central to our work being the Charles Darwin Foundation and the Galapagos National Park. We are fortunate to collaborate with scientists from many U.S. universities, international non-governmental organizations, and a multitude of other institutions that are committed to Galapagos conservation.

Galapagos Conservancy believes in the power of collaboration and investments in local capacity. As a result, GC has avoided increasing its footprint (physical infrastructure, staff, etc.) in Galapagos, favoring investments in local and national organizations that, in the long run, will have the authority and responsibility for protecting this extraordinary world treasure. We are dedicated to our role as facilitator and catalyst, having worked “behind the scenes” for almost two decades with leadership at the Galapagos National Park, the Charles Darwin Research Station, local municipalities in Galapagos, and other NGOs.

By building partnerships and leveraging already existing capacities within Galapagos organizations, we can enhance what already exists to achieve greater success. Our institutional mission and objectives are completely aligned with the work of key conservation institutions in Galapagos and with the Government of Ecuador.

Our staff is fortunate to be able to call on an extraordinary network of international scientists and their institutions to help us answer questions and respond to critical issues. We turn to these experienced Galapagos scientists to provide context and perspective, as well as lead short-term projects designed to answer key conservation management questions posed by the Galapagos National Park Service. Other characteristics that set us apart include:

• Galapagos Conservancy focuses exclusively on Galapagos, while other international conservation organizations may have programs fluctuate and change based on institutional priorities.
• Galapagos Conservancy staff has extensive experience in Galapagos.
• Galapagos Conservancy partners with the key organizations in Galapagos that work in both conservation and development of a sustainable society.
• We are part of an international network of “Friends of Galapagos” organizations (FOGOs) that works cooperatively to combine resources and experiences to address key issues in Galapagos.

Our work is focused and agile, and we are able to target financial support immediately to an issue and provide technical backup where needed.

Our History

Galapagos Conservancy (GC) is the only US organization focused exclusively on protecting the unique ecosystems and biological integrity of the Galapagos archipelago.

GC was created through the merger of two institutions, the Darwin Scientific Foundation (DSF), founded in 1985, and Charles Darwin Foundation, Inc. (CDF, Inc.), founded in 1992.

Although DSF and CDF, Inc. were two separate organizations with different Boards of Directors, they shared an Executive Director. In 2001, the institutions merged and became CDF, Inc., a Delaware public charity. Beginning in 2001, CDF, Inc. took a more proactive role in targeting funding and other resources not only for biodiversity conservation but also for social science research. In 2006, CDF, Inc. changed its name to Galapagos Conservancy to better reflect its mandate. With this change, GC became even more self-directed in its program activities. For more than 25 years, GC has worked with Galapagos-based, national, and international organizations and individuals to ensure the scientific research needed for policy, decision making, and conservation management, and to support key management institutions working in Galapagos to help ensure that they remain strong and effective.

GC has provided financial and technical support to Galapagos conservation, channeling tens of millions of dollars in private support, and building an endowment, which now stands at $4.2MM in net worth. The organization’s single focus has allowed it to target its communications, funding, and technical resources to projects specific to Galapagos biodiversity conservation and to work with organizations and individuals whose vision and mission are aligned with these goals.