Galapagos Islands with Globe Aware

Galápagos is one of the foremost ecotourism destinations on the planet. Despite being one of the best-preserved places in the world—with 95% of its pre-human, original biodiversity still intact, pressures from tourism are increasing. We help Galapagueños to continue on their path to sustainable development, wherein both qualities of life are ensured and the unique environment is preserved today and for future generations. We work directly with a local NGO to provide volunteer opportunities around conservation and education efforts designed to protect the area’s still thriving but threatened natural habitats. Program participants are stationed in a community on the south coast of Isabela Island, seven hundred miles off the coast of Ecuador. One of the four inhabited islands of the famous Galápagos, Isabela is the largest and is home to only 4000 people. It boasts breathtaking natural beauty, with beaches stretching for miles along rocky, rugged coastlines and teeming with exotic wildlife. In the last fifteen years, the island's economy has converted from one driven exclusively by its fisheries into one sustained mostly by a nascent ecotourism industry.