Movera / WikicommonsGalapagos turtles: combating extinction is one of the Charles Darwin Foundation’s flagship projectsMovera / Wikicommons
The Charles Darwin Foundation has been supporting research in the Galapagos Islands in Ecuador for over 50 years, but it is now in the midst of a financial crisis. The institution has raised only half of its $3 million annual budget from international donors and research-sponsoring agencies, and the budget includes expenses for leasing research vessels, conducting environmental education programs and maintaining museum and private collections. The center has 65 employees and works with more than 100 international collaborators. In the journal Nature, Swen Lorenz, Executive Director of the Charles Darwin Foundation, says “We’re two and a half months late with salary and several projects haven’t been running.” The crisis began to worsen in July, after the souvenir shop, a major source of funding for maintenance, was forced to close under pressure from local merchants who complained about the competition. This caused a drop in Foundation revenue of about $8,000 per week. In November, Foundation leaders met in Quito to discuss how to solve this problem. They decided to set up a working group to ensure that the research station would continue to operate and to attempt to find donors.
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