“Once the new protected area is created in Galapagos, more scientific research is needed in the area,” says director of the Charles Darwin Foundation.

Friend A. Zahawi left an important position at the University of Hawaii to accept the challenge of being, since last March, the executive director of the Charles Darwin Foundation (CDF) in Galapagos. The decision was not easy, he says. A trip to the islands convinced him.

Its administration is based on a comprehensive plan that has six axes, including scientific research. He affirms that the Government’s decision to create a new marine reserve in the archipelago put Ecuador in the global spotlight and, at the same time, has committed the different organizations that work in the conservation of Galapagos to carry out more scientific research.

You were the director of the Lyon Arboretum at the University of Hawaii and have also co-authored more than 60 scientific publications. In addition, he worked in conservation in Costa Rica, one of the leading countries on this issue worldwide. What motivated you to accept the leadership of the CDF?

The decision was not easy. At the University of Hawaii I had a career position, stable. However, Galapagos is a unique archipelago that is an example of conservation, of sustainability for the world. So, it was a very special opportunity, but it was when I came to visit the scientific station in a pandemic where I made the decision to accept the position. I got to know the staff, the place, the infrastructure, their energy.

What will be the axes of your administration?

In recent months we have been putting together a strategic plan that is quite public and visible, and that through a document people can see what we are doing and what we are about to do.

In the plan we contemplate six general axes: research, infrastructure, here we need to promote, for example, the earth science building; outreach and outreach to the community, environmental education, finance, here we seek to expand the network of financial sources for the foundation; and improve the visibility of the foundation, since we do a lot of things, we have achievements, publications, collaborations that are visible at the local level, perhaps at the national level, but at the international level we must do a little more visibility.

In research, is it intended to give impetus to a specific topic?

There are projects that are progressing quite well and that are key to the foundation such as Philornis (an invasive fly that affects species such as the mangrove finch), scalesias (endemic Galapagos plant), projects in the marine field. Now, within the science axis it is key, since now there is a radical change with the marine space that we have. Obviously we cannot investigate everything and that is why we must be strategic. For me it is very important to work in scale.

Many of the projects that we carry out, at least in the terrestrial sphere, do not go along that line, that is, we work on a few hectares, with a few families, but we need to work on a scale that has an impact on ecology, on the conservation of species. Instead of talking about restoring 10, 15 or 20 hectares of scalesias we should talk about 200 or 1,000. I think that today, especially with everything that has been talked about at COP26, there are much more funds. So, you have to work at scale.

Ecuador announced at that summit the creation of a new protected area in Galapagos. How do you see this decision?

This announcement generated a fairly high amount of noise, of attention to Ecuador. What strikes me the most is that it was not just a decision of the Presidency but that it was contemplated with all the actors. Perhaps it did not go beyond the conservation side (environmentalists were asking for an area of ​​445 square kilometers), but a compromise was achieved with all the different actors.

The decision has quite an impact, since, based on science, it was determined that this area is key for the migration of emblematic species. Now, this must be part of the science plan of the foundation and of the other NGOs that work in Galapagos because if the area is already in place now, the big questions are, what impact is it going to have on conservation? How is it going to affect Fishing for commercial species? Is this area going to increase populations of commercial species? There are a lot of projects and jobs that can and should be done.

At COP26, Ecuador, Colombia, Panama and Costa Rica announced the creation of the Eastern Tropical Pacific Marine Corridor. What impact would it have?

It is interesting that this has been done at the marine borders, since I have seen such protection in land areas. When they announced I was with people from the banking sector of the European Union and they asked us, that is, the announcement caught the attention of people who can contribute financially. This initiative is visionary, perhaps a little uncertain, but if it is carried out it will give a very strong result. (I)