Help inspire our next generation of ocean conservationists!
At Galapagos Conservation Trust (GCT) we believe that lasting change and conservation impact requires the engagement of young people and their communities. With the Galapagos Storybook, we aim to develop local childrens' understanding of the dangers facing Galapagos' marine wildlife whilst connecting them with the awesome science that is taking place to protect it. We plan to produce a pack of books for every school in Galapagos to help teachers link conservation to the curriculum. We are also working to deliver outreach trips for children to visit the Galapagos National Park to meet the real-life characters from the book, inspiring them to get involved with conservation efforts.
Who we are:
GCT is a UK charity which focuses on the conservation and sustainability of the Galapagos Islands. We have been working with our partners at MigraMar, the Galapagos Science Center and Galapagos National Park to support pioneering scientific, political and social efforts to help improve understanding of hammerhead shark migratory patterns, working towards the world's first bi-country protected swimway between Galapagos and Cocos Island National Park in Costa Rica.
This work is critical for the protection of marine life which rely on the swimway as a means of migrating between the two areas. However, the science is just one piece of the puzzle, in order to continue protecting sharks in the future, we need to engage the local community in conservation efforts. That’s where you come in! Through this campaign, we aim to raise the funding needed to support the production and distribution of the storybook to every school in Galapagos.
About the storybook:
The storybook offers a fun, engaging, and informative way for children to develop an understanding of the issues facing the Islands. It follows the journey of Marti, a hammerhead shark, from her nursery in the mangroves of San Cristobal island in Galapagos, Ecuador to Cocos Island, Costa Rica. Marti has been tagged by scientists, allowing her journey along the swimway to be followed. Using colourful illustrations, the storybook gives children the chance to get to know Marti, and the friends she meets along the way allowing them to develop an understanding of the threats facing these species and the science that is going on to protect them.
Rewards:
Where rewards are sent to you, shipping within the UK is included. If you are donating from outside the UK, and want your reward to be shipped internationally, please consider adding an additional donation to cover postage costs.
What will the money be spent on?
All proceeds from this campaign will go towards an initial print run of 2000 copies of the storybook. This will help cover the cost of printing, design and postage as well as other set up costs. 1000 copies of the storybook will be given in packs of 30 to every school in Galapagos, with the additional 1000 copies being printed in English and distributed in the UK. The £7,500 raised by this Crowdfunder campaign would help enable us to achieve this aim.
If we exceed the campaign target of £7,500, additional funds raised will go towards a further run of 1,000 books to be distributed to schools in coastal Ecuador and Costa Rica to reach more children of fishing families there.
If we meet that stretch goal, further proceeds will go towards our Endangered Sharks of Galapagos Programme to continue protecting these vulnerable species into the future.
Other ways you can help:
If you are interested in supporting this project but can’t donate there are other ways you can help:
Share the campaign on social media using #GalapagosJourney. This will help increase awareness of the project and encourage more people to get involved!
Or, if you’re interested in learning more about conservation in Galapagos, sign up to our newsletter or become a member.
Thank you for your support!