Corrigendum to: A collaboratively derived environmental research agenda for Galápagos

Abstract

Galápagos is one of the most pristine archipelagos in the world and its conservation relies upon research and sensible management. In recent decades both the interest in, and the needs of, the islands have increased, yet the funds and capacity for necessary research have remained limited. It has become, therefore, increasingly important to identify areas of priority research to assist decision-making in Galápagos conservation. This study identified 50 questions considered priorities for future research and management. The exercise involved the collaboration of policy makers, practitioners and researchers from more than 30 different organisations. Initially, 360 people were consulted to generate 781 questions. An established process of preworkshop voting and three rounds to reduce and reword the questions, followed by a two-day workshop, was used to produce the final 50 questions. The most common issues raised by this list of questions were human population growth, climate change and the impact of invasive alien species. These results have already been used by a range of organisations and politicians and are expected to provide the basis for future research on the islands so that its sustainability may be enhanced.

Priorities for ecological research on cetaceans in the Galápagos Islands

“…A collaboratively derived environmental research agenda was recently developed for Galaṕagos based on a participatory process involving governmental entities, universities, and non-governmental organizations (Izurieta et al, 2018). This process prioritized 50 research questions, including several with a marine or conservation theme, although these questions were selected for their importance for policy makers and practitioners, and the authors acknowledged the value of conducting a parallel exercise for identifying fundamental research questions (Izurieta et al, 2018). This paper is an answer to this call, by identifying research questions relevant to cetaceans in Galaṕagos.…”