On April 17, the Ministry of Environment of Ecuador announced that experts have discovered an unprecedented coral reef, teeming with a rich marine life off the coast of the Galapagos Islands.
Fish congregating at the ancient and pristine coral reef in Ecuador. (Source: Reuters)
In a statement on Twitter, Ecuador’s Minister of Environment, Jose Davalos, highlighted: “A deep-sea scientific expedition has discovered a completely pristine coral reef, approximately 2 kilometers long, at a depth of 400 meters, atop an underwater mountain. The Galapagos continues to amaze us!”
Scientists previously believed that the only surviving coral reef in the Galapagos, which endured the El Niño events of 1982 and 1983, was the Wellington reef, located along the coast of Darwin Island. However, this new discovery confirms that other coral reefs still exist.
The aforementioned reef has more than 50% live coral. Stuart Banks, a senior marine researcher at the Charles Darwin Foundation and a member of the expedition team, emphasized: “This is critically important on a global level as many deep-sea systems are being damaged.”
He also suggested that this coral reef is several thousand years old.
In 2022, Ecuador expanded its marine reserve by an additional 60,000 square kilometers on top of the existing 138,000 square kilometers to protect migratory species at risk of extinction between the Galapagos and Cocos Island in Costa Rica.
The Galapagos Islands—which inspired scientist Charles Darwin to formulate his theory of evolution—are also home to giant tortoises, albatrosses, cormorants, and many other species.
Among them, many species are threatened with extinction.
