Eradicating introduced species and restoring habitat on the Galápagos Islands are key tasks for scientists at The Charles Darwin Foundation, which has conducted research on the archipelago since 1961. Alan Tye, a specialist in bird behavioral ecology, worked in the Galápagos for 11 years, most recently as the foundation’s science director. He left that post in May to become invasive species officer for the Pacific Regional Environment Program based in Samoa. In the Galápagos, he oversaw efforts to monitor ecological change and use scientific data for planning, much of which was devoted to eradicating introduced species ranging from the mammalian to the microscopic. While the removal of goats and other mammals are the Galápagos’ best-known eradication efforts, two blackberry species (Rubus adenotrichos and Rubus megalococcus) and tropical kudzu (Pueraria phaseoloides) also have been eradicated from Santa Cruz Island. In a conversation with Barbara Fraser in March, Tye described the focus of the foundation’s research as “threats and threatened things.” [Log in to read more]

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