Santiago: control of blackberry and "poleo"
For more information contact:
Carlos Carvajal, +593 (0)5 252 9178 Ext. 229, ccarvajal@spng.org.ec
Pellentesque habitant morbi tristique senectus et netus et malesuada fames ac turpis egestas.
Santiago was one of the islands favored by pirates and whalers. In 1920 and then in 1960, there were plans to establish a mine to extract salt from the lake located in the crater of the volcanic cone. Today, the island is uninhabited, but colonization and visitors brought invasive species.
Native and endemic flora
On Santiago there are several species of Scalesia spp., an endemic genus that has experienced great diversity and expansion.
Among these are Scalesia pedunculata, severely affected by goats, Scalesia atractyloides, and Scalesia stewartii, the latter distributed more towards the lower areas.
The subspecies of Scalesia atractyloides, S. darwinii, and S. atractyloides were considered extinct, but small populations have been found on the island.
The danger of introduced plants
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WORST INVASIVE PLANTS IN GALAPAGOS*
Blackberry (Rubus, 5 varieties)
Guava (Psidium guajava)
Cascarilla o Quinina (Cinchona pubescens)
Cedrela (Cedrela odorata)
Supirosa (Lantana camara)
Sauco (Cestrum auriculatum)
Maracuyá (Passiflo)
Pomarosa (Syzygium jambos)
Hoja del aire (Bryophyllum pinnatum)
Pasto elefante (Pennisetum purpureum)
Laurel (Cordia alliodora)
Cabuya (Furcraea hexapetala)
Sauco macho (Citharexylum gentryi-Verbenaceae)
Tulipán africano (Sphatodea campanulata)
Zaragoza (Aristolochia odoratisima)
Higuerilla (Ricinus communis)
Poleo (Hyptis pectinata)
Saboya (Panicum maximum)
Floripondio (Datura y Brugmansia spp)
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* Marked in bold, invasive plants of Santiago |
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It is presumed that the introduction of exotic species, mainly plants, began with the arrival of humans in the Galapagos in the seventeenth century, but the greatest introduction occurred in the early nineteenth century, with human colonization of the Islands.
Introduced plants are one of the greatest dangers to the flora of the Galapagos, as many of them are highly invasive, competing with native and endemic plants for light, water, and nutrition.
It is estimated that there are about 700 introduced plants, 50 of which are highly invasive.
On Santiago, blackberries (Rubus niveus) and "poleo" (Hyptis pectinata) have invaded the Scalesia spp. forests, and prevent the growth of guayabillo (Psidium galapageium) and "cafetillo" (Psychotria rufipes).
Control and eradication actions on Santiago
On Santiago Island, citrus fruits such as oranges and lemons, and others like naranjilla and "jaboncillos" have been eradicated in coordination with the Charles Darwin Foundation. These species had been maintained since the seventeenth century following the visits of pirates to this island. They had not shown to be invasive given the presence of introduced animals such as pigs, goats, and donkeys that fed on these species and even on their seeds, which is why these plants did not proliferate.
Since 2003, blackberry and "poleo" control in the western part of the island, "Los Aguacates", and "La Central" is carried out by local staff.
This program has counted on the support of:
The Charles Darwin Foundation for the Galapagos Islands (CDF) is an international nonprofit research organization dedicated to providing scientific research, technical assistance and information in order to ensure the success of conservation in Galapagos.
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