Subject: Galapagos Conservation Trust e-News

From: "Galapagos Conservation Trust" <[email-masked]>
Date: Thu, 29 Mar 2007 16:45:48 +1200

Welcome to the Galapagos Conservation Trust e-News Home  | Membership  | Newsroom  | Conservation projects  | About Us  | Contact Us  Welcome to the Galapagos Conservation Trust's e-newsletter... 29 March, 2007 

Dear Mr Stephens, 

In this edition: 

Away from safety of Galapagos, Green Turtle DC235 dies from long line fishing 
More news from Galapagos 
Eggs for Easter 
Tortoise Club for Schools competition 
"Crisis in Paradise" DVD available 
GCT's webshop offer 
Away from safety of Galapagos, Green Turtle DC235 dies from long line fishing 

The disheartening news of the first recorded death of a sea turtle marked in Galapagos was received recently by Patricia Zárate, Charles Darwin Foundation's (CDF) marine turtle project coordinator. Tagged as DC235 by the CDF monitoring team, this female East Pacific green turtle (Chelonia mydas) was caught and died in the long line of a commercial vessel fishing for tuna in Panama in December 2005. 

According to Zarate, "While within the Galapagos Marine Reserve (GMR) the turtles are safe. Industrial fishing was prohibited in the GMR in 1998 and long lining by artisanal fishers was banned in 2005. Our research helps support the efforts of the Galapagos National Park Service to ensure the turtles have sanctuary in Galapagos." Beyond the 40 mile limit of protected waters that surround the Galapagos archipelago they are however vulnerable to international fishing pressure during migration and in their feeding areas outside the haven created by the GMR. 

For the full article, visit our website at http://www.gct.org/mar07_1.html. 

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More news from Galapagos 

100 mangrove finches - how to stop the countdown
A new project began in late 2006 that aims to increase the knowledge about the needs and the ecology of the mangrove finch Cactospiza heliobates. The most endangered of "Darwin's" finches, the species is listed as "Critically Endangered" by the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 

The land iguana - back from the brink
Over the last 30 years the land iguana captive breeding programme has reared and released 1,136 land iguanas. Successful breeding in the wild is especially obvious on Baltra Island and northwest Santa Cruz Island since these sites are now free of the feral cats and dogs that previously decimated the iguana populations. 

School's out for invasive bugs
CDF's thesis student Lenyn Betancourt is a familiar face in the schools of Puerto Ayora, where 188 children help him look for unusual invertebrates amongst the plants in the school patio. This pilot programme by the CDF's invertebrate research team is expanding the inventory and monitoring of terrestrial invertebrates in Puerto Ayora. 

For the full articles, visit our website at http://www.gct.org/news2.html. 

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Eggs for Easter 

For a very special gift this Easter, why not adopt a Galapagos giant tortoise egg? The tiny hatchlings are emerging from their eggs at this time of year, weighing only about 80g, and need our support to thrive and grow into the magnificent animals that are the icons of Galapagos. 

GCT has a range of Galapagos species available for adoption, including the waved albatross, which are landing in Espanola at the moment to begin breeding; the Galapagos passionflower, an endemic plant with small egg-shaped "passion fruits"; the blue-footed booby and playful sea lion pups. 

To adopt a giant tortoise egg or other Galapagos species, please visit our website at www.gct.org. 

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Tortoise Club for Schools competition 

Tom Garner, the Tortoise Club for Schools Co-ordinator, has just announced GCT's annual competition for Tortoise Club for Schools, Junior and Galapagos Schools members. The competition, this year, is to design a conservation poster which promotes the protection of the giant Galapagos tortoises and also the need to conserve their unique and important habitat. The prize includes a signed framed print of a tortoise that was produced especially for GCT by artist and illustrator, Korky Paul; an autographed book called 'Aesop's Funky Fables'; and one year's free junior membership of GCT. For details on how to enter, email [email-masked] or visit our website at http://www.gct.org/tortoiseclub/competition.html. 

The Tortoise Club for Schools was re-launched in 2006 and since then has quadrulped in number, with 22 schools now signed up as members. If you know of a school that would enjoy Tortoise Club membership, please contact Tom at [email-masked] for further information, or visit our website at http://www.gct.org/tortoiseclub. 

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"Crisis in Paradise" DVD available 

New and exclusive to GCT, this 38-minute DVD outlines the current issues that the Galapagos Islands face, and features interviews with Sir David Attenborough. By purchasing this DVD, a £10 donation will go towards conserving the islands. The DVD is available through our website at www.gct.org/gifts1.html, or you can email Abi in the GCT office on [email-masked]. 

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GCT's webshop offer 

Tesco are now offering GCT £10 for every new customer who makes their first grocery purchase through our webshop. Until Sunday the 8th of April 2007, Tesco.com will be increasing commission and will give us £10 for every new customer who makes a grocery transaction. As well as this fantastic offer for us, all new customers who spend over £50 on their first grocery transaction will receive £5 off. 

For further details, visit our webshop at http://www.buy.at/galapagos. 

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