Galapagos: Preserving Darwin's legacy

by Tui De Roy

This sumptuous large-format book was first produced in 2009 to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the foundation of the Charles Darwin Foundation on Galapagos. The book comprises a series of invited essays under the editorship of world-renowned photographer and long-term Galapagos resident, Tui de Roy, who has also provided most of the photographs. The authoritative essays cover the entire spectrum of Galapagos wildlife including the marine environment, unique vegetation such as sunflower trees as well as wildlife including giant tortoises, marine iguanas, sea lions and the Galapagos finches that inspired Darwin's theory of evolution.

This new edition has significant updates to a number of chapters including brand new photography and information about scientific developments elsewhere and a new jacket.

240 pages, Hardcover

Published March 19, 2019

Reviews

[Vinay Bysani · Rating 5 out of 5]

many stories of scientists/naturalists working in Galapagos on various different aspects like Invertebrate/Mammals/Botany/Lichens/Flora/Fishes/Birds. Definitely one of the best books i read in terms of how much wealth of knowledge is there in one single book. It's not a popular read though. But a fantastic book. I wish it was in kindle, so i can make notes and keep it forever.

[Trent Marv · Rating 4 out of 5]

Alright so it should be clarified that despite what some people may think looking at the cover, it is not a field guide to the island's fauna but rather a collection of scientific papers that discuss various topics related to the biology, ecology, and preservation concerns that the Island has. Despite this it does cover the endemic fauna to a very deep level. Indeed, while the island may be most well-known due to the famous Darwin's Finches, Marine Qiuana, and Giant Tortoises nearly all fauna is discussed here. While those big names do get their time to shine, such as the new bright pink Land Iguana and how there are now more than one species of Tortoise we also learn of more obscure species, like the flightless cormorants, the endemic radiations of lichen, the similar radiation of land snails, the native rodents, sunflowers that grow into the size of trees, even the waters around the island get their due as the now obscure extinct species known as the Galapagos damsel (Azurina eupalama) is mentioned.
Indeed, extinction and suffering of native fauna due to both direct human actions and introduced species like goats, dogs, and black rats is a common thread in this book, but the stories of recoveries show that there is still hope for Darwin's legacy though the last chapter is rather anti-human it does come from an understandable plate. Overall, a great book just keep in mind it can get a bit technical at times plus it includes a list of other books as well you might enjoy.