NEW YORK, Apr 7, 2005/ MF/ --- The Galapagos Islands are legendary for their rare and extraordinary animals that have no fear of humans and are found nowhere else in the world.

A nature-based tourism initiative developed by the Charles Darwin Research Station with the cruise ship Galapagos Explorer II, or GEII, is designed not only to protect these animals and their environment but also to actively recruit tourists for help gathering valuable environmental information – critical for long-term research and preservation.

The Charles Darwin Research Station establishes environmental protocol for tour companies and monitors animal and plant species and the effects of human interaction on them.

Equipment, funds and staff are very limited for the not-for-profit organization; so researchers are turning to environmentally friendly cruise ships for gathering valuable data on wildlife, marine species and plants.

The Darwin Station developed a program with Canodros, a tour operator that runs the GEII cruise ship.

The ship’s naturalist guides conduct the bio-diversity monitoring program with assistance from passengers. The ship visits two islands each day. Staff naturalists see more of these islands than anyone.

These guides send back information and observations to the Darwin Station for compilation and analysis.

Passengers are encouraged to participate in long-term research programs. The Naturalist Room allows tourists to work together with the ship’s guides to monitor the physical and biological processes of the islands by logging uncommon sights and observations in their logbook.

“The Galapagos is a very big place. There are more than 120 islands. Neither the park service nor the Darwin Station can monitor them all,” said Roslyn Carter of the Darwin Research Station.

“The naturalist guides aboard the ship are our eyes, ears and hands. They tell us if anything is wrong or right and if something needs fixing. Their information is absolutely invaluable.”

Not only does the GEII assist with research programs, the ship itself was specifically designed and built for eco-tourism operations while providing environmental education and interpretation. The ship carries only 100 passengers.

The Darwin Station staff hopes this new breed of tour operator will set the standard for others, with its environmentally sensitive operations and dedication to “low impact nature travel.”