Review: Conservation in the Galapagos Islands for Teenagers by Nico S

We flew into San Cristobal Island from all over the world, including the US, UK, Barbados, and other parts of Europe. I was the only Swiss volunteer. We received a warm welcome from the project manager and settled into our complex, where a lovely couple cooked our meals and ensured everything ran smoothly.

Our first few hours were spent hitting the beach and seeing my first barking sea lions—they are truly the comedians of the animal kingdom, flopping and rolling around in the sand!

The real work began on Monday. We were given machetes to chop down otoy plants, the main food source for the island's giant tortoises. We also used them to clear out invasive plants, like blackberries, near the turtle preservation centre.

Seeing my first Galapagos tortoise was incredible. These animals are at the core of Darwin’s theory of evolution. On islands like San Cristobal, the tortoises have “saddleback shells” and long necks to reach higher vegetation, like the otoy we cut for them. 

It was so satisfying to hear them munching on the otoy with their hard jaws, as they don't even have teeth! Only volunteers and conservationists get to feed them, which made our work feel even more special.

After a typical lunch of fish or meat with rice, avocado, and fried plantains, we spent the afternoons cleaning up the beaches. We removed rotting wood, glass bottles, and plastic. It was sweaty, sandy, and sometimes smelly, but knowing we were directly helping the wildlife and the environment made every minute worth it. 

On Saturday, we took a two-hour ferry ride to Santa Cruz Island. We visited a tortoise sanctuary and explored a cool lava tunnel. The tortoises there are noticeably bigger than the ones on San Cristobal. 

At the Charles Darwin Research Station, I learned that they can influence the gender of a tortoise egg by temperature. Research shows that the chance of female offspring is much greater when the eggs are incubated at around 29.5°C (85.1°F). For male offspring, the temperature needs to be cooler, at around 28°C (82.4°F). Mind-blowing!

In our second week, we shifted focus in the afternoons. On Monday, we spent time with local children who were studying English, playing games and having ice cream. For the rest of the week, our main project was creating a mural on the front wall of an abandoned house. We cleared the weeds, sketched the design, and prepared our canvas.

On Thursday, we woke up before dawn to survey sea lions, noting their gender and age to help conservationists track the population. In the afternoon, we started painting the mural, mixing vibrant colours. Since I was the tallest, I ended up sitting on another volunteer's shoulders to paint the highest parts!

On our final Friday, we finished the mural. It looked great, and the community was incredibly happy with our work. We ended the day with a farewell barbecue, celebrating how quickly we had become a close-knit group.