Darwin's Arch collapses, a natural treasure of the Galapagos

The landscape has "brutally changed".

Ecuadorian media describe the natural disaster that has marred the Galapagos this way: Darwin's Arch, a rock formation among the best dive sites in the world, has collapsed, believed to be due to erosion.

The race for donations has already started and Leonardo DiCaprio, Hollywood and environmental protection star, will offer over 40 million dollars to protect the biodiversity of the entire archipelago, a paradise of unspoiled nature.

The Darwin Arc is located north of the Galapagos, less than a kilometer from the island of the same name: an extinct volcano that would have formed on the bottom of the Pacific Ocean from 400,000 to 1.6 million years ago. The two sites owe their name to the English naturalist who conceived his theory of evolution also admiring the uniqueness of the flora and fauna of the archipelago.

The biodiversity that characterizes the Galapagos, a Unesco heritage site in the middle of the Pacific, 900 km from Ecuador, attracts visitors from all over the world every year. However, the human impact of ecotourism has a cost, which is likely to be high. So much so that this year a group of conservation scientists ran for cover creating the 'Re: wild' association, together with the Galapagos National Park and local communities. The goal is to protect endangered species by rebuilding the ecosystem.

Among the founders of 'Re: wild' there is also Leonardo DiCaprio, who has pledged 43 million dollars to finance the project, which includes among other things the protection of the Floreana island, which is home to 54 endangered species, including the pink iguana. And the reintroduction of 13 species already extinct locally, such as the mocking thrush, known for its ability to mimic the song of other birds. The first described by Darwin himself.