- John McCosker. I'm chair of the department of Aquatic Biology at the
Academy of Sciences. The Galapagos is a very
unique place on planet Earth. It is an island group
that 9 million years ago came from the seabed 1000
kilometers from the shore. And a number of animals
were capable of reaching it. Not many, but the few that did make it were able to evolve in isolation. And during that period of
time they became endemic species found nowhere else on plant Earth. Every since Darwin in 1835
visited the Galapagos Islands and realized that the
uniqueness of the animals that lived in Galapagos was very special to science as well as to all humanity. He was overwhelmed by the uniqueness of some of the tortoises, the mocking birds, some of the plants and animals. You see, the plants and
animals on the Galapagos are so unique that 50% of the
birds were found nowhere else. With scuba and submersibles we
can go underwater and realize that the same endemism, uniqueness
of the Galapagos Islands occurs underwater, much as
it does above the water. It is a hotspot because of all
the dangers that it now faces because of humanity. Increased tourism, invasive species, and the universal global problems of climate change, ocean acidification, damage to near-shore environments, exaggerated climate effects
of El Ninos and La Ninas such that no place on Earth
is safe, even the Galapagos. We have to focus on those
areas that have the highest degree of biodiversity,
who have also been very damaged by humanity. In order for us to save
what's left on plant Earth we must focus.