Achievement

The Center for Galapagos Studies is the coordinating unit for UNC's Galapagos Initiative that marshals Carolina's research strengths to address the complex pressures facing the Galapagos Islands, an at-risk UNESCO World Heritage Site and birthplace of evolutionary science. The Center is working closely with researchers from the Universidad San Francisco de Quito (USFQ) and the Galapagos National Park on a number of interdisciplinary research projects throughout the archipelago that focus on the complex interactions among human, terrestrial, and marine systems. In May 2010, plans were finalized for a new, joint UNC-USFQ Galapagos Research Center on Isla San Cristobal in the Galapagos that will provide well-equipped laboratory and research support facilities for scientists from the two institutions. Groundbreaking will take place in June 2010 with construction expected to be complete in early 2011.