Barcode Galapagos
Barcode Galapagos is an ambitious citizen science project that aims to document the genetics of all biological life in Galapagos, from microbes to mammals.
Labelled the most ambitious citizen science project in Galapagos, Barcode Galapagos aims to gather and document the genetics of all living species both on the Islands and in the surrounding waters, with the aim of better understanding and protecting the natural environment.
Many groups of species in Galapagos remain unstudied, particularly coral reef fish and microorganisms that make up most of the Islands’ biodiversity. Although it sounds ambitious, experts believe ecosystem-level barcoding is feasible due to the remote location and volcanic origins rendering the Galapagos ecosystem relatively ‘simple’, with around 9,000 multicellular species. Furthermore, having a Galapagos barcode biodiversity library will help scientists and conservationists measure the health of Galapagos environments and support species reintroductions or captive breeding programmes over the long term. It can also detect environmental threats by identifying new invasive species entering Galapagos or tracing illegally trafficked shark fins or animals sold as pets through black markets.
The Barcode Galapagos project aims to have an impact in two major areas – providing alternative livelihoods for Galapagos community members to support conservation science, and describing the genetic profile of all species found in the Archipelago, from Scalesia trees to blue-footed boobies, from microbes to giant tortoises. The project aims to achieve this by:
- Using non-invasive 21st-century genetic barcoding techniques to catalogue the biodiversity of the main Galapagos Islands and surrounding marine reserve.
- Training locals in key field, lab and curatorial techniques, and employing them to undertake the project, which can also open new job opportunities in the future.
- Throughout, quantifying the impacts of our approach for individual- and societal-level well-being.
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