Plenary PAnels

The Galapagos archipelago is located on the equator, 600 miles west of mainland Ecuador. Charles Darwin visited the islands in 1835 and his observations and collections of animal and plant life led to the theory of evolution and his seminal 1859 book, "On the Origin of Species."  The islands were then a stopping point for pirates and other sailing ships, nearly decimating the highland tortoises and Galapagos sea turtles, lesser so the marine iguanas, finches and many other birds, which were largely free to evolve as distinct species without human settlements or disruption. This accelerated with a small influx of migrants that began in the late 1800s, yet tourism did not begin in earnest until the 1980s. In 2018, more than 230,000 tourists visited the islands, four of the 14 that are inhabited with about 28,000 migrants, primarily from mainland Ecuador. The tension between conservation and economic development puts extreme pressures on the environment, and its animal species, including humans.  Panelists include presentations on human health and the dual burden of nutrition; water quality/quantity and antimicrobial resistance; the marine environment and how it affects both marine animals and human settlements; and the threat to sea turtles and marine ecosystems that occurs from climate change and human disruption.  The Galapagos Islands are an ideal laboratory for studying One Health that links population, the environment, and health to provide data to influence preservation, mitigation and policy for protecting this world heritage site.