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“Lonesome George” walking around Galapagos National Park on April 19, 2012. ©Rodrigo Buendia/AFP |
Please join me in an ode to the giant tortoise, recently confirmed to be back from near extinction on the Galapagos Espanola Island after conservation work that began forty years ago. The population currently stands at over 1000, a spectacular recovery considering that only 15 remained in the late 1960s, when they were summarily rounded up and placed into a breeding program.
There are now enough adults and juveniles surviving and repopulating to be self-sustaining.
Although one can never say ‘giant tortoise’ enough times, the island still requires some habitat restoration. The tortoises should be able to help that along, because in addition to being long-lived, they…
Originally published on www.oecdinsights.org on 10 February 2015.
Useful links:
Giant tortoises are back from near extinction
OECD Observer articles on environment
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