Darwin and the Galapagos

Today is Charles Darwin’s 200th birthday. The British naturalist is best-known for creating the basis of modern evolutionary theory via his 1858 book "On the Origin of Species by Means of Natural Selection".

A Gallup poll conducted earlier this month found that 39% of people in the U.S. believe in evolution while 36% have no opinion on evolution. Meanwhile, recent scientific work has put into doubt Darwin’s theory of an evolutionary tree of life. Yet Darwin’s work over 150 years ago was vital in the advancement of science and no other scientific theory has come close in explaining evolutionary descent.

Darwin’s scientific theories may have never come about had it not been for his stop on the Galapagos Islands off the Ecuadorian coast. As Sir David Attenborough describes, the islands served as the laboratory for Darwin’s observations:

The Galapagos are the classic example of the spark that lit the fuse, the one that natural selection. The evidence that is so transparently and dramatically and obviously clear in the Galapagos, you can also see in the Seychelles, you can see in Hawaii; you can see it wherever there is a group of small islands. Nonetheless, the Galapagos planted the seed that flowered, and so we revere them.

Conservationists warn that the islands’ rich diversity may soon disappear unless tourism is significantly curbed. The Ecuadorian government has established stiffer laws to protect the animals and plants on the islands. But with all the revenue tourism brings to the country it may prove to be a losing battle.

It would be a pity if in a decade’s time all that Darwin viewed over 150 years ago would disappear forever.

Image- National Geographic ("The largest of the tortoises, the endangered Galápagos tortoise is incredibly long-lived. One captive tortoise lived over 150 years.")
Online Sources- The Telegraph, Wikipedia, New York Times, Gallup