So inspired was Charles Darwin when he visited the Galapagos archipelago in 1835 that it first got him thinking about evolution. These volcanic islands off the coast of Ecuador are celebrated for their vast number of endemic species, found nowhere else in the world. Darwin recognised that individuals of the same species were different depending on the sub-environments they inhabited and noted that "if there is the slightest foundation for evolution, the zoology of the Galapagos will be well worth examining".
Today, the Galapagos is the best-conserved tropical ocean archipelago in the world and is also recognised as a World Heritage Site by the IUCN. It's unique evolutionary history is threatened by introduced species, which outnumber and outcompete the native flora and fauna, and from illegal fishing activities in the marine sanctuary surrounding the islands.
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