Vol. 2 (2021): Esferas
SDG 3 Good Health and Well-Being

"Water for Galapagos": a water quality monitoring program for the Galapagos Islands

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Wendy Vernaza
Universidad San Francisco de Quito Colegio de Ciencias e Ingenierías, Departamento de Ingeniería Ambiental, Quito, Ecuador
Rodrigo Pozo
Universidad San Francisco de Quito Colegio de Ciencias e Ingenierías, Departamento de Ingeniería Ambiental, Quito, Ecuador
María Cristina Mateus
Colegio de Ciencias e Ingenierías, Departamento de Ingeniería Ambiental, Quito, Ecuador. Galapagos Science Center, San Cristobal, Galápagos, Ecuador
Diego Quiroga
Universidad San Francisco de Quito, Colegio de Ciencias Biológicas y Ambientales, Quito, Ecuador. Galapagos Science Center, San Cristóbal, Galápagos, Ecuador
Jill Stewart
Universidad de Carolina del Norte en Chapel Hill Departamento de Ciencias Ambientales e Ingeniería, Escuela de Salud Pública Global Gillings, Chapel Hill, Carolina del Norte, Estados Unidos. Galapagos Science Center, San Cristóbal, Galápagos, Ecuador
Amanda Thompson
Universidad de Carolina del Norte en Chapel Hill Departamento de Nutrición, Escuela de Salud Pública Global Gillings, Chapel Hill, Carolina del Norte, Estados Unidos. Galapagos Science Center, San Cristóbal, Galápagos, Ecuador
Nejem Raheem
Emerson College, Departamento de Comunicación en Marketing, Boston, Estados Unidos
Valeria Ochoa-Herrera
Universidad San Francisco de Quito USFQ, Quito, Ecuador
Bio
"Agua para Galápagos": un programa de monitoreo de la calidad del agua en las islas Galápagos
DOI: https://doi.org/10.18272/esferas.v2i.2026

Published 2021-04-06

Keywords

  • fresh water,
  • Galapagos,
  • water quality,
  • monitoring,
  • sustainable development goals,
  • community
    • ...More
    Less

How to Cite

Vernaza, W., Pozo, R., Mateus, M. C., Quiroga, D., Stewart, J., Thompson, A., … Ochoa-Herrera, V. (2021). "Water for Galapagos": a water quality monitoring program for the Galapagos Islands. Esferas, 2(1), 10–35. https://doi.org/10.18272/esferas.v2i.2026
Copyright Notice

Abstract

The Galapagos Islands are distinguished by having limited sources of water; for this reason, the conservation and protection of fresh water is one of the most difficult challenges to face. The availability, quality and treatment of water on each island is different and is related to the demand of the population. In this article, we present the current water situation and the projects we develop related to water resources on three islands: Santa Cruz, San Cristóbal and Isabela. On Santa Cruz, in conjunction with the Galapagos National Park, a water quality baseline was generated using a nine-year data set collected by the Park. In addition, a study was carried out on the perception of the population on the quality of water, their satisfaction regarding the resource, and the local willingness to pay for improvements to the water service. On San Cristóbal, the long-term Monitoring Program on water quality is being developed, while on Isabela a pilot project for monitoring water quality was conducted. Finally, on the three islands, workshops were held with local people, representatives of public and private institutions, NGOs, and students where we identified and prioritized the communities"™ concerns and uncertainties about the management of the water resources in the archipelago. The article presents a summary of the main results of the activities conducted, the status of water quality on the three islands, and opinions of the parties involved on the applicable improvements on the islands to obtain a quality resource. This community outreach program contributes to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) 3: Good Health and Well-being; 6: Clean Water and Sanitation; 13: Climate Action; and 14: Life Below Water. Finally, this program contributes in a tangible way to preserve and conserve the water resource in the archipelago.

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