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A drop in tourism and weather patterns associated with La Niña are believed to have helped bird species in the remote archipelago.
The population of Galapagos penguins and flightless cormorants, two endemic species to remote islands, has seen a record increase, according to study results released Friday.
The Galapagos penguin is one of the smallest penguin species in the world, measuring up to 35 centimeters (14 inches), and the island cormorants are the only type that has lost the ability to fly. Instead, they have developed diving skills.
“The number of cormorants has reached a record number, according to historical data dating back to 1977, while the number of penguins is the highest since 2006,” said a statement from the Galapagos National Park, which conducted the census.
The population of Galapagos penguins, the only ones living on the earth’s equator, increased from 1,451 in 2019 to 1,940 in 2020, it added.
The number of flightless cormorants increased from 1,914 to 2,220 during the same period.
The COVID-19 pandemic has kept tourists away from Galapagos, helping species that live in the archipelago to recover. [File: Rodrigo Buendia/AFP]
The Galapagos Islands lie 1,000 kilometers (625 miles) off the coast of Ecuador and are home to species found nowhere else in the world.
The study was conducted by the park and the Charles Darwin Foundation in September. The main colonies present on the Isabela and Fernandina islands and the Marielas islets located to the west of the archipelago have been classified as natural heritage.
Paulo Proano, Minister of Environment and Water of Ecuador, said that the results of the census reflect the “good health of the population” of the Galapagos birds.
The park said the presence of the La Niña weather phenomenon, which helps provide more food for the birds, had contributed to the increase in their populations.
Another factor was the coronavirus pandemic, which has reduced disturbances in their nesting areas due to the drop in tourism, the park added.
The islands, which served as a natural laboratory for the English scientist Charles Darwin for his theory of the evolution of species, take their name from the giant tortoises that live there.
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