Galápagos Province

The tourist yacht Evolution ran aground near Punta Estrada on Santa Cruz Island on June 26. Puerto Ayora’s port captaincy activated response protocols and requested support from nearby vessels while authorities evaluated the situation.

Authorities detained 16 people on San Cristobal after an operation near the Muelle de los Marinos. Police reported the seizure of boats, outboard motors, mobile phones and electronic devices in a fuel-trafficking investigation.

El Telegrafo reports that scientists identified Microeledone galapagensis, a small blue deep-sea octopus first collected near Darwin Island during a 2015 expedition with the Charles Darwin Foundation and the Galapagos National Park Directorate.

Paola Sangolqui of Fundacion Jocotoco won the 2026 Whitley Prize for work protecting the critically endangered Galapagos petrel, with funds aimed at safeguarding nests in agricultural areas of Santa Cruz.

Ecuador's National Assembly passed a new mining and energy law 77-70 on February 26, replacing environmental licenses with simplified authorizations and allowing rock extraction in the Galapagos Islands. CONAIE and environmental groups are protesting the changes as a rollback of decades of conservation policy.

Visiting the Galapagos just got pricier: the national park entry fee for foreign tourists has doubled to $200, though expats with a cedula pay a much lower resident rate of $50.