Galapagos Pinnipeds Program

Principal Investigator: Dr. Diego Páez-Rosas

There exists a great concern about the future of Galapagos pinnipeds, which has undergone a population decrease of around 50% during the last 40 years, reason why the IUCN has placed to Galapagos sea lion and Galapagos fur seal under endangered category. The main topics studies of this program are:

  • Trophic ecology
  • Environmental variables effects
  • Population trends
  • Anthropogenic interactions
  • Health status
  • Genetic variability
  • Management and conservation
  • Among others

Our work generates baseline information for the conservation of Galapagos pinnipeds using a combination of techniques associated with ecological aspects and environmental variables with the purpose of explore the potential chronic effect produced by climate change.