I always love attending the Galapagos Conservation Trust’s annual Galapagos Day events and find them truly inspiring. Being surrounded by other people who feel as passionate as I do about the Galapagos islands always leaves me feeling hopeful, re-energised and refocused on trying to do all we can as holiday organisers to help conserve this unique place. But over the last few years, what I have found particularly inspiring is the number of amazing female scientists currently working in the field in the Galapagos on some truly remarkable projects.
As February 11 marks the International Day of Women and Girls in Science, established by the United Nations in 2016 to highlight the critical role women play in science and the importance of equal access to scientific careers worldwide, it seems the perfect chance to celebrate and highlight the work of some of these amazing women working on conservation projects in Galapagos.
In the Galapagos Islands, science is not abstract. It happens in real time — on volcanic shores, in highland forests, in mangroves and beneath nutrient-rich ocean currents. It unfolds over years, often decades, and directly informs how this fragile ecosystem is protected.
Few stories illustrate this better than the extraordinary work of Rosemary Grant and her husband Peter Grant.
Dr Rosemary & Dr Peter Grant: Watching Evolution Happen
Beginning in 1973, the Grants launched one of the most important long-term field studies in evolutionary biology on the small island of Daphne Major.
Returning year after year, often camping in challenging conditions, they meticulously measured, tagged and tracked generations of Darwin’s finches. Their research demonstrated something revolutionary: that evolution can occur rapidly — within a few generations — when environmental conditions change.
During drought years, birds with slightly deeper, stronger beaks survived better because they could crack tougher seeds. In wetter years, different traits were favoured. Natural selection was not a distant, ancient force — it was measurable, observable and ongoing.
Their decades of data reshaped modern understanding of evolution and provided some of the clearest evidence supporting the theory first inspired by Charles Darwin nearly 140 years earlier.
Rosemary Grant, in particular, broke ground not only scientifically but symbolically — as a woman conducting rigorous, high-impact field research at a time when such roles were far less common.
The Grants’ work reminds us that conservation depends on patience. On returning. On continuing to measure, observe and question.
Read an interview that Galapagos Conservation Trust did with the Grants in 2025
The same spirit lives on today. Here are a few of the female scientists working to protect the unique ecosystems of the Galapagos Islands:
Sofía Green: Following the Ocean’s Gentle Giant
Marine biologist Sofía Green is part of the Galpagos Whale Shark Project team, supported by Galapagos Conservation Trust (GCT), tracking whale sharks in and around the archipelago.
For nine years, she has studied the movement and behaviour of the largest fish on Earth — an animal we still know surprisingly little about, building our understanding of these gentle giants and how they move around the world’s ocean.
Sofía, originally from Ecuador, holds a master’s degree in Marine Biological Resources. Based in the Islands, she works as a certified Galapagos naturalist and dive guide. Beyond the equator, she also serves as an expedition coordinator, zodiac driver and naturalist guide in Antarctica. She also lectures, contributes to citizen science initiatives and leads youth programmes through “Chicas con Agallas” (Gills Club) and the Sustainable Ocean Alliance. She truly is an inspiration!
Diana Pazmiño: Inspiring the Next Generation in Galapagos
At the Universidad San Francisco de Quito, GCT partner Diana Pazmiño co-founded the Gills Club (Chicas con Agallas), introducing girls from Galapagos to marine science.
In 2025, the programme celebrated a huge win, becoming available to young girls across all four inhabited islands — Floreana, Isabela, Santa Cruz and San Cristóbal — ensuring conservation leadership grows from within the local community.Bringing the project to Isabela was particularly special for Diana as she grew up on the island.
Read an interview that Galapagos Conservation Trust did with Diana and Sofia about the Gills Club.
Georgie Savage: Protecting the Giants of the Highlands
Partly funded by Galapagos Conservation Trust, PhD student Georgie Savage from the University of Exeter is studying how pollutants in freshwater ponds may affect giant tortoises that rely on them for bathing and drinking.
These highland pools are vital habitats. Understanding unseen risks helps ensure long-term survival of one of the islands’ most iconic species.
Andrea Varela: Iguanas from Above project
Ecuadorian PhD student Andrea Varela is part of the Iguanas from Above project, mapping marine iguana distribution across the archipelago and studying how El Niño events impact food availability for iguanas.
Marine iguanas are uniquely adapted to feeding in the sea — but warming waters and climate variability affect their algae food sources. Mapping populations and tracking climate impacts allows conservation planning to be proactive rather than reactive.
Read an article by Andrea on the impact of El Niño on marine iguanas.
A Legacy Continued
From the meticulous finch measurements of Rosemary and Peter Grant, to satellite tracking whale sharks, to drone mapping iguanas, to pond monitoring for tortoises — science in Galapagos happens on the ground, building our understanding of the species that live there.
The women leading and contributing to this work are often working behind the scenes — in field camps, research stations, classrooms and dive boats.
Without science, there is no conservation. Without conservation, there is no future for places like Galapagos.
And thanks to generations of women in science — from pioneers like Rosemary Grant to today’s marine biologists, PhD researchers and youth mentors — that future is being actively protected.
