Ecuador: an erupting volcano in the Galapagos biodiversity sanctuary

The Wolf volcano, on an island in the Galapagos archipelago, erupted for the second time in seven years, Ecuadorian authorities and officials said on Friday, January 7, without specifying whether the rare population of pink iguanas that there saw was threatened.

"#Galapagos the Wolf volcano has erupted (...) report" park wardens "who follow developments," said the Galapagos National Park (PNG) on social networks.

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The Geophysical Institute of Quito reported that at around 00:20 (0520 GMT) Friday, "a new eruption was observed on the 1707 meter high volcano" located on Isabela Island, expelling a cloud of gas and ash. at nearly 3800 meters above sea level. "There is no population near the volcano or in the direction of the ash clouds," added the institute in a statement.

A habitat of 25 square kilometers

The previous eruptive activity of the highest volcano in the Galapagos archipelago, a world biosphere reserve for its unique flora and fauna 1000 km from the coast of Ecuador, occurred in 2015, after 33 years of inactivity. It did not affect the rare fauna of Isabela Island where, in 2009, an endemic species of pink iguanas (Conolophus marthae) was recorded.

An expedition carried out last year identified some 211 specimens of this species considered seriously threatened by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN).

The expedition found that they live exclusively in an area of ​​25 square kilometers and estimated that "being limited to a single site makes the species more vulnerable".

The slopes of Wolf Volcano are also home to yellow iguanas (Conolophus subcristatus), also endemic, and giant tortoises (Chelonoidis becki).

Isabela, the largest of the Galapagos archipelago, made up of 19 islands and around 40 islets, is also home to the active volcanoes Darwin, Alcedo, Cerro Azul and Sierra Negra.