The Galapagos Islands are a 'window on evolution' for German ecologists

Apr 21, 2006, 8:01 GMT

Frankfurt, Germany - The Galapagos Islands provide a perfect open-air laboratory for naturalists from all over the world. Privately-funded initiatives in Germany are helping to preserve the islands' unique ecology

A farmer on the Galapagos Island of Santa Cruz was responsible for a major turning point in the life of the biologist Heinke Jaeger. In 1996 he complained to Jaeger about the spread of the red quinine tree on his land and how it was making the fields useless for cultivation.

'That's how I discovered my area of research,' says Jaeger, who was travelling through Ecuador at the time and had decided to make a quick trip to the islands. The red quinine tree (Latin: Cinchona pubescens) was introduced in 1946 to Santa Cruz, one of over 100 islands belonging to the archipelago.

The bark of the tree contains quinine, a substance used to treat malaria and other fever-causing illnesses. A farmer had brought a few saplings over from the mainland and planted them. In the intervening years the red quinine tree spread rapidly across the island.

The tree was never a cash crop, but according to Jaeger, it now covers 12,000 hectares of the highlands. The trunk can grow to over 10 metres in girth and its large leaves throw a shadow over everything growing below them.

As a result, native flora has been affected and growing cash crops such as banana and coffee made difficult. Insects dependent on native vegetation have also suffered and the balance of the island's delicate ecosystem has been disturbed.

Jaeger has been studying the red quinine tree for many years and is writing her doctorate on the subject. She spent six-and-half years on the Galapagos Islands in the Pacific Ocean studying the tree.

A nature protection organisation from Frankfurt has been following the threats posed to the archipelago's ecosystem for the past 40 years. The archipelago is 'a window on evolution,' according to Christof Schenck of the Frankfurt Zoological Society (ZGF).

Schenck believes the relative isolation of the archipelago has made it the ideal place to study the problems which nature is facing.

Scientists can examine how the introduction of a species can affect an ecosystem. Take the goat for instance. The animal was brought to the islands many years ago. The population has since exploded and become a serious threat to the islands' ecology. 'We want to learn from the Galapagos Islands,' Schenck explains.

The ZGF has been collecting donations for the Charles Darwin Research Station and nature protection projects for decades as part of its programme to support ecology projects on the Galapagos Islands.

One of the people who regularly support the initiative with donations is biology teacher Klaus-Ruediger Przybylla from Roedermark near Frankfurt.

He spent two weeks on the islands 25 years ago and was amazed by what he saw. Since then he has donated money every year to the ZGF. 'It's just a small contribution,' says Przybylla.

A quarter of a century later Przybylla still speaks fondly of the tameness of the islands' animals, who allowed themselves to be viewed from close quarters.

The biology teacher's contributions to the project have been small but he says that every donation can help preserve the islands' ecology. 'The money has been well invested,' says Przybylla. At home, Przybylla is also an active member of nature protection organisation Friends of the Earth Germany.

He is due to retire from his post as teacher at the end of the year but is not planning a return visit to the Galapagos Islands because he is afraid that too much might have changed since his last visit. Przybylla says he prefers to retain his memories.

Internet: www.zgf.de

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