Galapagos: History and Conservation. An Insider's Perspective

Galapagos stimulates the imaginations of most adventure travellers. We've seen the documentaries and read about it in the press. It's one of those "bucket list" destinations.

But there's a lot more going on behind the scenes. How and why did it become the first site to receive "World Heritage" status? What is the conservation status of its iconic species? Is tourism a problem?

We'll have a look at what forces of nature came together to create the archipelago which helped Charles Darwin come to the epiphanal realization that species can change over time.

We'll wrap up with a open discussion, question/answer session.

HOW TO GET TICKETS:
Please register on EventBrite here. We can accommodate a maximum of 80 people.

YOUR SPEAKER:
Marc Patry was hired by the Charles Darwin Research Station to lead the largest ever ecological restoration project in the history of Galapagos (1998-2002). He went on to work for UNESCO's World Heritage Centre in Paris, where he oversaw the conservation status of World Heritage sites in Latin America and the Caribbean - including the Galapagos islands (2003 - 2013). It was under his watch that the Galapagos was placed on the "World Heritage in Danger" list. He currently sits on the governing body of the Charles Darwin Foundation and of the International Galapagos Tour Operators' Association.

He is now based in Ottawa, where he runs a travel company with his wife.