Charles Darwin Foundation

Hello! We are the Charles Darwin Foundation. Our most important job is to help protect the amazing and unique animals and plants of the Galápagos Islands. These islands are a very special place in the world. Why? Because many of the creatures that live here are found nowhere else on Earth. Have you ever heard of giant tortoises that can live for over one hundred years? Or marine iguanas that can swim in the ocean? These are just some of the wonderful animals that call the Galápagos home. We work hard to keep their home safe from harm so they can thrive for many years to come.

Our story began a long time ago, in 1959. Back then, a group of scientists and conservationists from all over the world came together. Conservationists are people who work to protect nature. They shared an important idea: they wanted to make sure the wonderful wildlife of the Galápagos would be safe forever. So, they created us, the Charles Darwin Foundation. We were officially founded in a city called Brussels, in the country of Belgium. The Galápagos Islands are part of a country called Ecuador, and from the very beginning, we have worked closely with the government of Ecuador to help care for this natural treasure.

To do our job well, we knew we needed to be right there on the islands. It’s hard to protect a place from far away! So, in 1964, we opened the Charles Darwin Research Station. We built our station on Santa Cruz Island, one of the main islands in the Galápagos. This station is a very important place. It is the home base where our scientists live and work. From here, they can go out into the wild to study the animals, the plants, and the ocean. Being so close allows them to learn everything they can about the islands and figure out the best ways to protect them.

One of our most famous and important jobs is helping the giant tortoises. These gentle giants are a symbol of the Galápagos. For many years, we have run a special program to help them. We carefully collect tortoise eggs and bring them to a safe place at our station. When the baby tortoises hatch, we raise them until they are big and strong enough to live on their own in the wild. This gives them a much better chance of survival. We also had the honor of caring for a very special tortoise named Lonesome George. He was the very last tortoise of his kind, and we looked after him for many years.

We are still here on the islands, and our work continues every single day. Our scientists are always busy. They study everything you can imagine, from the tiniest insects living in the soil to the big sharks swimming in the sea. Every living thing is part of the puzzle, and we want to understand how it all fits together. Besides doing science, we also believe it is important to teach others. We share what we learn with people who visit the islands and with the people who live here. We help everyone understand why it is so important to protect this incredible and unique place for the future.