Restoring what the islands were
Galápagos Habitat Restoration Institute
Santa Cruz · Galápagos · Ecuador
Restaurando lo que fueron las Islas
A nonprofit institute removing invasive species and rebuilding the endemic cloud forest of the Galápagos — and funding the work by turning the invader into value.
Rubus niveus — hill blackberry · invasive
While the world watches the marine reserve, the highlands are being quietly smothered — the endemic Scalesia forest replaced by a wall of thorns.
The Galápagos are among the most ecologically unique places on Earth, and among the most vulnerable. Rubus niveus — the hill blackberry — has spread across more than 30,000 hectares of highland terrain, forming dense thickets that displace the endemic Scalesia trees: sole remnants of a daisy family that evolved into a forest in complete isolation.
Endemic species evolved over millennia at nature's pace; they have no defense against an invader that spreads with relentless, indifferent aggression. When Scalesia disappears, the cloud forest collapses — endemic land birds lose their nesting structure, giant tortoises lose their ancient migration corridors, and the soil itself shifts to favor further invasion.
Introduced guava, quinine tree, and Lantana compound the damage. Over 870 introduced plant species now stand against fewer than 600 natives — many already threatened. This is the problem GHRI was created to address.
Hectares mean nothing until you stand them next to something you know. So we did.
That is 5.1× the size of Manhattan.
Each outline below is one Manhattan. Red is invaded ground.
Blackberry is only the fastest invader — guava already covers more ground. Switch the others on to see the real footprint.
5.1× the invaded area equals Manhattan · one outline = 59 km²
Isabela · volcanic highlands
Most eradication fails because it costs money forever. Ours pays for itself: every kilogram we pull out becomes a product, and the product funds the next hectare.
Phase 01 — Remove
Manual removal in targeted highland zones, mapped with the National Park Directorate. We take out the most damaging species while minimizing soil disturbance — because bare ground invites re-invasion.
Phase 02 — Restore
Every kilogram removed opens space for native seedlings. We track restoration progress and monitor re-colonization by endemic species across each treated site.
Phase 03 — Bioconvert
The invader is not waste. Its biomass becomes gourmet mushrooms, animal feed, and soil — returning measurable value to the archipelago and funding continued eradication.
↻ revenue funds Phase 01
GHRI runs manual removal campaigns in the highlands of Santa Cruz, balancing maximum biomass extraction against minimum soil disturbance — the critical trade-off in ground where bare earth invites the invader back.
Campaigns run in zones identified through field surveys and ecological mapping, coordinated with the Dirección del Parque Nacional Galápagos. We prioritize the most aggressive species and document removal area, biomass yield, and native response at every site.
Removed biomass is converted into products of real community value. In our flagship program, the woody, thorny canes of Rubus niveus are bioconverted into Pleurotus ostreatus — gourmet oyster mushrooms. The invader becomes food. Restoration that creates local value is restoration communities have reason to sustain.
Harvest — invasive cane, staged for bioconversion
Santa Cruz · lava-rock lagoon
Today's field work is the foundation. As capacity grows, GHRI is opening three further lines of intervention — each one turning the invader into something the islands need.
Woody invasive material that can't be safely composted is converted to biochar through pyrolysis. Galápagos volcanic soils — porous and low in organic matter — are well suited to biochar amendment for carbon storage and microbiome recovery. The invader becomes medicine for the soil it destroyed.
Scalesia forests can't through natural succession alone in heavily invaded terrain. GHRI is developing in vitro propagation protocols for priority endemic species — producing disease-free, genetically authentic stock for direct field reintroduction.
At full scale, GHRI plans to convert residual invasive biomass into electricity — powering the archipelago with the very organisms that threaten it. Every kilogram burned is a kilogram permanently eliminated.
The Galápagos import nearly all liquid fuel by ship. Biomass energy would cut that dependency while creating a permanent economic incentive for eradication at scale.
GHRI works with specialized partners and suppliers whose technology and expertise directly shape our field protocols and operations.
Invitrolab is an Ecuadorian plant tissue culture laboratory supporting GHRI's in vitro reforestation program — multiplying disease-free, genetically authentic Scalesia and other priority endemic species from single explants for direct field reintroduction.
Puerto Ayora · research station area
The Galápagos Habitat Restoration Institute is a nonprofit foundation (Fundación) incorporated under Ecuadorian law in Santa Cruz. It was established to address one of the archipelago's most persistent ecological threats through rigorous field science, applied bioconversion research, and long-term community partnership.
GHRI works in coordination with local communities, landowners, and conservation authorities, and is committed to transparency and to publishing the results of its field and research programs.
GHRI is my answer.
EMBO Long-Term Fellowship
European Molecular Biology Organization
Pew Latin American Fellows Award
Pew Charitable Trusts
Cabeaux-Jacobs Award
Belgian American Educational Foundation
Santa Cruz · undeveloped coast
GHRI welcomes communication from grant-making organizations, conservation researchers, academic institutions, and community partners — for research collaboration, funding, and institutional inquiries.
info@galapagoshri.org
