0:00:04 > 0:00:08Lonesome George is the most famous tortoise in the world.
0:00:08 > 0:00:11He is also the only one of his kind.
0:00:11 > 0:00:16His ancestors were slaughtered over a century ago.
0:00:19 > 0:00:21Discovered and rescued in the '70s,
0:00:21 > 0:00:26he's come to symbolise the plight of the unique animals of the Galapagos
0:00:26 > 0:00:30and the battle to restore the islands to their former glory.
0:00:33 > 0:00:37For a while, Galapagos was considered beyond saving.
0:00:37 > 0:00:39Decades of conservation work
0:00:39 > 0:00:44succeeded in buying time, but the wildlife is once again under attack.
0:01:01 > 0:01:04Tensions between local people and wildlife run high.
0:01:04 > 0:01:07The islands have been brought to the point of crisis.
0:01:07 > 0:01:11But those same people may offer the islands their best chance of salvation.
0:01:13 > 0:01:16Extreme measures are being taken.
0:01:19 > 0:01:21In 21st-century Galapagos,
0:01:21 > 0:01:27can its unique wildlife be spared the same fate as Lonesome George -
0:01:27 > 0:01:30staring extinction in the face?
0:01:39 > 0:01:41The famous Galapagos islands.
0:01:41 > 0:01:44A tropical paradise - remote,
0:01:44 > 0:01:49fantastical and renowned for their abundance of wildlife.
0:01:53 > 0:01:57The islands take their name from the Spanish word for giant tortoise -
0:01:57 > 0:02:02this is one of only two places on Earth these reptiles are found.
0:02:05 > 0:02:07They're a naturalist's dream -
0:02:07 > 0:02:11the most pristine tropical archipelago in the world.
0:02:15 > 0:02:20Flung far off the west coast of South America, the Galapagos Islands
0:02:20 > 0:02:25are isolated by hundreds of miles of ocean in every direction.
0:02:25 > 0:02:31This isolation has led to the evolution of so many unique species,
0:02:31 > 0:02:32and that same isolation
0:02:32 > 0:02:36has protected them from human colonisation and disturbance.
0:02:39 > 0:02:41But the islands are changing.
0:02:42 > 0:02:4630,000 people now call these islands home.
0:02:48 > 0:02:51They're mostly immigrants from mainland Ecuador.
0:03:00 > 0:03:03Galapagos is a province of Ecuador,
0:03:03 > 0:03:06and the people retain a strong national identity.
0:03:11 > 0:03:15The vast majority have arrived in the past 20 years.
0:03:20 > 0:03:23The islands are famous for the tameness of their animals.
0:03:23 > 0:03:27Here, more than anywhere else on Earth, humans and wildlife
0:03:27 > 0:03:31appear to live happily side by side.
0:03:32 > 0:03:35In this pristine wilderness of Galapagos
0:03:35 > 0:03:40you can almost believe that you are in a modern-day Garden of Eden.
0:03:46 > 0:03:51But in reality, this trusting wildlife is particularly vulnerable.
0:03:51 > 0:03:55Despite the illusion of paradise, the animals have been suffering
0:03:55 > 0:03:57for as long as people have been present here.
0:03:57 > 0:04:03There's no better case in point than the story of Lonesome George.
0:04:03 > 0:04:08On the outskirts of town, Lonesome George has his own corral
0:04:08 > 0:04:11within the protective boundaries of the National Park
0:04:11 > 0:04:14and Charles Darwin Research Centre.
0:04:14 > 0:04:16Fausto Llerena is the chief warden
0:04:16 > 0:04:19responsible for Lonesome's comfort and well-being.
0:04:21 > 0:04:24He's grown fond of his precious charge.
0:05:12 > 0:05:14He is unique.
0:05:14 > 0:05:18He's in the Guinness Book of Records as the loneliest creature on Earth.
0:05:18 > 0:05:23He is, quite simply, the only surviving member of his race.
0:05:23 > 0:05:27The only Pinta Island giant tortoise in existence.
0:05:32 > 0:05:36The rest of his kind were mostly wiped out by whalers and buccaneers
0:05:36 > 0:05:39in the 18th and 19th centuries.
0:05:42 > 0:05:47Ships full of hungry men, at sea for months on end.
0:05:49 > 0:05:51They had this problem of victualling,
0:05:51 > 0:05:55and they got to the Galapagos and they would look forward to it
0:05:55 > 0:05:58for weeks because that's where they could get tortoises.
0:06:01 > 0:06:03If you've come round Cape Horn
0:06:03 > 0:06:08and you've been living off mummified penguins and rotten pork for months,
0:06:08 > 0:06:12and you've got the chance of stocking up your ship with several tonnes
0:06:12 > 0:06:14of absolutely fresh living meat,
0:06:14 > 0:06:18by dumping a few hundred tortoises in the holds,
0:06:18 > 0:06:20the quality of life for you increases
0:06:20 > 0:06:25a great deal, although it reduces a lot for the poor animals in the hold.
0:06:30 > 0:06:35It's thought that Galapagos had 13 races of giant tortoises,
0:06:35 > 0:06:38spread across the larger islands of the archipelago.
0:06:38 > 0:06:41It was the outlying island populations
0:06:41 > 0:06:44that were first plundered by the visiting sailors.
0:06:44 > 0:06:47The first race to go extinct, as far as we can tell, was on Floreana,
0:06:47 > 0:06:53where the noteworthy Mr Charles Darwin visited in the 1830s -
0:06:53 > 0:06:58he was there in the closing stages of the existence of that tortoise.
0:06:58 > 0:07:02By 1840, as far as we can tell, it was gone.
0:07:02 > 0:07:06In fact, Darwin may have eaten some of the very last ones, and the shells
0:07:06 > 0:07:10were thrown overboard from the Beagle as they sailed off,
0:07:10 > 0:07:13so it was a different ethic in those days. You had to survive.
0:07:16 > 0:07:20Nearly all the populations were decimated by the visiting sailors.
0:07:20 > 0:07:26At least two races were considered extinct by the mid 20th century.
0:07:26 > 0:07:28While the tortoises of Pinta Island
0:07:28 > 0:07:32were known only from skeletons and a 19th-century lithograph.
0:07:32 > 0:07:34The Pinta tortoise always fascinated me personally,
0:07:34 > 0:07:38because he was such a weird-looking animal. And, as you can see,
0:07:38 > 0:07:41it just doesn't look like other tortoises.
0:07:41 > 0:07:45It's just taller and the texture of the shell is completely different.
0:07:45 > 0:07:49And, it struck me as, "Hey, I've seen giant tortoises in London Zoo,
0:07:49 > 0:07:51"but there's nothing like that."
0:07:53 > 0:08:00You can see this uprising neck, tiny little beady eyes,
0:08:00 > 0:08:02and that shape would not work on the Continent.
0:08:02 > 0:08:08Some jaguar would get in and just rip it apart, but in this Eden-like atmosphere of Galapagos,
0:08:08 > 0:08:10it doesn't need the protection any more.
0:08:10 > 0:08:13The shell's 1mm thick, just enough to hold it together so it doesn't
0:08:13 > 0:08:15fall in two halves on the trail.
0:08:20 > 0:08:25The last living tortoise on Pinta was recorded in 1906.
0:08:25 > 0:08:28After that, only bones were found.
0:08:28 > 0:08:33Until, that is, in 1971, a visiting snail scientist happened to recount
0:08:33 > 0:08:38the details of his collecting trip to tortoise expert Peter Pritchard.
0:08:40 > 0:08:44I was talking about saddle-back tortoises and adaptations for certain kinds of islands and,
0:08:44 > 0:08:48he said, "Well, you know the tortoise we saw last week on Pinta
0:08:48 > 0:08:50"wasn't really very saddle-backed."
0:08:50 > 0:08:52I said, "What did you say?"
0:08:52 > 0:08:56I just about dropped my teeth. He said, "We were in Pinta doing snails
0:08:56 > 0:08:57"and this tortoise came out,
0:08:57 > 0:09:02"and it was only one we saw, so I took a picture of it". I said, "Can I see the picture?"
0:09:03 > 0:09:10This one photo brought a species thought to be extinct back to life.
0:09:10 > 0:09:13Inspired by this evidence of a living Pinta tortoise,
0:09:13 > 0:09:17the National Park authorities immediately sent out a search party.
0:09:42 > 0:09:46This, the only footage ever taken of a tortoise on Pinta,
0:09:46 > 0:09:48was recorded by Peter Pritchard who,
0:09:48 > 0:09:52keen to share in this remarkable discovery, had followed
0:09:52 > 0:09:55the Park Rangers out to the island.
0:09:55 > 0:09:59By the time I arrived, they had found Lonesome George,
0:09:59 > 0:10:01and he was tied up by one leg,
0:10:01 > 0:10:04hobbling around on the little area just behind the coast,
0:10:04 > 0:10:07and waiting to be taken away.
0:10:27 > 0:10:32He was taken to the National Park headquarters on Santa Cruz Island
0:10:32 > 0:10:33for safe-keeping.
0:10:33 > 0:10:37News of his discovery spread far and wide.
0:10:37 > 0:10:40And he became the most famous tortoise in the world.
0:10:40 > 0:10:43I mean, anyone who knows about tortoises or Galapagos
0:10:43 > 0:10:45knows about Lonesome George.
0:10:48 > 0:10:52Lonesome's story brought the plight of the Galapagos tortoises
0:10:52 > 0:10:56to the attention of the world, at a time when there was growing concern
0:10:56 > 0:10:58about the impact of man on nature.
0:10:58 > 0:11:01Yet, despite this, the natural riches of the Galapagos
0:11:01 > 0:11:03continued to be plundered.
0:11:05 > 0:11:10Nowhere are those riches more vivid than under the waves.
0:11:10 > 0:11:15This is one of the most productive tropical marine ecosystems in the world.
0:11:19 > 0:11:25The impact of local fishermen on this marine life had always been small.
0:11:25 > 0:11:28Fishing was primarily for subsistence
0:11:28 > 0:11:33as the islands' remote location meant there was no external market.
0:11:33 > 0:11:37But, in 1989, there was a change in the fishermen's fortunes.
0:11:37 > 0:11:41A market suddenly opened for a rather unlikely catch -
0:11:43 > 0:11:45the sea cucumber.
0:11:45 > 0:11:48These animals are a delicacy in the Far East.
0:11:48 > 0:11:51They're cooked in soups and considered to be an aphrodisiac.
0:11:53 > 0:12:00Asian buyers arrived in Galapagos, offering large amounts of cash to anyone who could supply them.
0:12:00 > 0:12:03Fishermen used to earning a few hundred dollars a year could
0:12:03 > 0:12:09earn several thousand in a day, just by picking the defenceless animals up off the sea floor.
0:12:13 > 0:12:18The sea cucumber bonanza changed the islands forever.
0:12:18 > 0:12:23Hundreds of fishermen from the Continent streamed into the islands.
0:12:23 > 0:12:27Soon, they were harvesting up to a million animals every week.
0:12:27 > 0:12:31Within a few years, the sea cucumbers had all but disappeared.
0:12:31 > 0:12:35It was time for the National Park authorities to step in.
0:12:38 > 0:12:41They set quotas and imposed size restrictions,
0:12:41 > 0:12:44and not just for sea cucumbers,
0:12:44 > 0:12:49but for all marine resources - lobster numbers were also in rapid decline.
0:12:49 > 0:12:53They had the authority to confiscate illegal catches,
0:12:53 > 0:12:54while legal catches were validated
0:12:54 > 0:12:59with their stamp of approval - the image of Lonesome George.
0:13:01 > 0:13:04This was the first time the National Park had seriously
0:13:04 > 0:13:08concerned itself with the day-to-day affairs of the Galapagan people,
0:13:08 > 0:13:10and not everyone was pleased.
0:13:12 > 0:13:16The fishermen demonstrated against ever tighter restrictions,
0:13:16 > 0:13:19complaining they could no longer make a basic living.
0:13:22 > 0:13:26They vented their anger against the National Park,
0:13:26 > 0:13:30even burning an effigy of the park's director.
0:13:30 > 0:13:35In the year 2000, the National Park buildings on Isabela Island
0:13:35 > 0:13:37were comprehensibly trashed.
0:13:39 > 0:13:45Scrawled on the walls were threats to the lives of the staff who worked here.
0:13:53 > 0:13:56Ever since the National Park got involved with sea cucumber fishery,
0:13:56 > 0:13:59there has been tension between them and the fishermen.
0:13:59 > 0:14:04They've even received death threats to their icon, Lonesome George.
0:14:14 > 0:14:17"The National Park authorities and other conservation bodies are more
0:14:17 > 0:14:20"concerned with the welfare of the animals than the people."
0:14:20 > 0:14:23That's the claim of the leaders of the local fishing co-operatives.
0:14:49 > 0:14:54To try and address this, the National Park host regular meetings
0:14:54 > 0:14:58with the fishermen to discuss how to manage the marine environment.
0:14:58 > 0:15:03How to provide for the fishermen, yet still uphold the ban on sea cucumber collecting.
0:15:03 > 0:15:07There's much talk of finding alternative employment for the fishermen.
0:15:07 > 0:15:11Titi Rendon is Head of the Santa Cruz fishing co-operative.
0:15:38 > 0:15:42One of the problems for both the park and the fishing co-operative
0:15:42 > 0:15:46is enforcing the regulations so that the marine life can recover.
0:16:15 > 0:16:18Having decimated the lobster and sea cucumber fisheries,
0:16:18 > 0:16:21some fishermen with no alternative employment available
0:16:21 > 0:16:25are now turning their attention to another lucrative catch.
0:16:35 > 0:16:40Sharks are being targeted, butchered for their fins.
0:16:43 > 0:16:46There are worrying parallels with the sea cucumber boom.
0:16:51 > 0:16:55The shark fins are sold for vast sums to the Far East
0:16:55 > 0:16:58where they're used to thicken ceremonial soup.
0:16:58 > 0:17:00This is strictly illegal.
0:17:00 > 0:17:03Galapagos has one of the best set of laws to protect
0:17:03 > 0:17:08marine life in the world, but these laws simply can't be enforced.
0:17:08 > 0:17:13Just as with sea cucumbers, it's "grab what you can before it's gone".
0:17:31 > 0:17:34Shark numbers are already in decline.
0:17:34 > 0:17:36It's been predicted the sharks
0:17:36 > 0:17:40of Galapagos will have all but disappeared in ten years.
0:17:46 > 0:17:50Removing these top predators is also damaging
0:17:50 > 0:17:54one of the world's most spectacular underwater ecosystems.
0:17:55 > 0:17:59There are likely to be knock-on effects right through the food chain.
0:18:03 > 0:18:07It's not just the damage to marine life that is a cause for concern.
0:18:09 > 0:18:14The Galapagos Islands are regularly voted the best dive destination in the world.
0:18:19 > 0:18:24For all the underwater wonders, there is one star attraction.
0:18:24 > 0:18:27Every diver dreams of seeing live sharks.
0:18:34 > 0:18:38Diving is the fastest-growing sector of the largest industry
0:18:38 > 0:18:40in the Galapagos - tourism.
0:18:44 > 0:18:47Killing one of tourism's top attractions
0:18:47 > 0:18:51is undermining the very industry that could provide employment
0:18:51 > 0:18:53for out-of-work fishermen.
0:18:53 > 0:18:58It's in the interests of the tourist sector to limit the damage
0:18:58 > 0:19:00being done by the fishermen.
0:19:00 > 0:19:05One of the biggest dive operations is owned by Herbert Frey.
0:19:52 > 0:19:56Whether all those involved can be persuaded to abandon shark finning,
0:19:56 > 0:20:00in favour of a new life in tourism, remains to be seen.
0:20:00 > 0:20:03What's certain is the tourist sector is well aware
0:20:03 > 0:20:07of the need for better protection of the wildlife it depends on.
0:20:07 > 0:20:12Cause celebre for the conservation movement, Lonesome George
0:20:12 > 0:20:15has been embraced by a tourism industry keen to show its support
0:20:15 > 0:20:19for the protection of the wildlife.
0:20:19 > 0:20:24Almost every tourist shop sells souvenirs bearing his image and name.
0:20:24 > 0:20:27Lonesome George has achieved celebrity status.
0:20:29 > 0:20:33He's on the itinerary of every single visitor,
0:20:33 > 0:20:35and is presented as living proof
0:20:35 > 0:20:39of what can go wrong when humans invade this fragile paradise.
0:20:44 > 0:20:50But not one tourist will ever visit his homeland, Pinta Island.
0:20:50 > 0:20:53It's off limits. In fact, it's so little visited
0:20:53 > 0:20:58that for a long time, hope survived that there might be more tortoises
0:20:58 > 0:21:01hiding on the island, and with good reason.
0:21:01 > 0:21:05A few years after the discovery of Lonesome George, this shell
0:21:05 > 0:21:08was found by scientists visiting Pinta.
0:21:08 > 0:21:11The shell beside me here is of great interest,
0:21:11 > 0:21:14because this is a Pinta tortoise and it's an empty shell,
0:21:14 > 0:21:18but it's with scutes on, and they fall off when the animal's been dead
0:21:18 > 0:21:20for a year or so.
0:21:20 > 0:21:23So, when that animal was collected and brought into this controlled
0:21:23 > 0:21:27environment, it hadn't been dead for probably more than a year.
0:21:27 > 0:21:31And it was found on Pinta two or three years after Lonesome George was found.
0:21:31 > 0:21:35So there was more poking around there.
0:21:38 > 0:21:43Peter Pritchard planned a final and exhaustive search of Pinta
0:21:43 > 0:21:47in the hope more tortoises were hiding on the wild and remote island.
0:21:49 > 0:21:55So this was a systematic transecting of the vegetative parts of Pinta.
0:21:57 > 0:22:01But they found no sign of a living tortoise.
0:22:03 > 0:22:08We found 15 skeletons of tortoises in...
0:22:08 > 0:22:11none killed by man as far as we can tell.
0:22:11 > 0:22:15They were all in deep ravines, which the tortoises fell in and could
0:22:15 > 0:22:19not escape, and the bones were lying there in the bottom of the ravine.
0:22:21 > 0:22:25The crew was not used to gathering bones - it's not part
0:22:25 > 0:22:27of their standard marching orders,
0:22:27 > 0:22:30but I said, "Look, fellas, this is Pinta.
0:22:30 > 0:22:32"No-one else is making any more of these things.
0:22:32 > 0:22:40"We've got to gather these bones up". We rounded up everything, from used plastic food bags to my underwear,
0:22:40 > 0:22:44to whatever else you could find, to parcel these things up.
0:22:44 > 0:22:46And we got them back here,
0:22:46 > 0:22:51and they're boxed up in the reference collection in the Darwin station now.
0:22:53 > 0:22:56There was something strange about these bones.
0:22:56 > 0:23:00All but one of the 15 skeletons were from male tortoises.
0:23:00 > 0:23:06It seems the final blow to the Pinta tortoise was a lack of females.
0:23:09 > 0:23:13Exactly what happened on Pinta Island that led to the disappearance
0:23:13 > 0:23:16of the female tortoises will never be known.
0:23:16 > 0:23:19It happened a long time ago.
0:23:19 > 0:23:20The animals in the ravines were old ones.
0:23:20 > 0:23:26They had walked around 100 years before they fell into that ravine and died in the bottom of it.
0:23:26 > 0:23:29And sometimes we'd find skeletons of three animals mixed in one ravine.
0:23:30 > 0:23:34So it's a damn odd way to go -
0:23:34 > 0:23:37extinct by masculinisation and falling into potholes.
0:23:37 > 0:23:39It's not the normal pattern.
0:23:39 > 0:23:41But I think it's what happened on Pinta.
0:23:47 > 0:23:52Lonesome George may never have met a female tortoise on Pinta.
0:23:52 > 0:23:56Now, any hope of introducing him to one has gone and, with it,
0:23:56 > 0:23:59the chance of baby Pinta tortoises.
0:23:59 > 0:24:02But there's no reason he shouldn't enjoy other female company,
0:24:02 > 0:24:05and the next best thing -
0:24:05 > 0:24:08perhaps father their offspring.
0:24:50 > 0:24:57Lonesome's lack of interest in his female companions has sparked a lot of comment in the outside world.
0:25:00 > 0:25:04There have been rumours he doesn't really know what to do!
0:25:06 > 0:25:10It's even been suggested that perhaps George is gay!
0:25:10 > 0:25:14But maybe all he needs is a helping hand.
0:25:17 > 0:25:20Graciela Cevello was approached by an official
0:25:20 > 0:25:23of the National Park with a special assignment.
0:25:55 > 0:25:59The hope was if they could collect sperm and freeze it,
0:25:59 > 0:26:02one of the females could be artificially inseminated.
0:26:59 > 0:27:04Graciela did succeed in arousing George, but he never obliged with any sperm.
0:27:07 > 0:27:09Eventually the project was abandoned
0:27:09 > 0:27:13and George returned to his solitary ways.
0:27:16 > 0:27:19Every failed attempt to reproduce Lonesome
0:27:19 > 0:27:22builds to the unavoidable conclusion -
0:27:22 > 0:27:26decades ago, and without anyone really noticing,
0:27:26 > 0:27:30the Pinta Island tortoise passed the point of no return.
0:27:32 > 0:27:38But for a miracle, when Lonesome George dies, his race dies with him.
0:28:17 > 0:28:22It may be too late to save the Pinta tortoise, but in the corral
0:28:22 > 0:28:27next door to Lonesome are tortoises that were rescued in the nick of time.
0:28:27 > 0:28:33These tortoises were also the last of their kind.
0:28:33 > 0:28:39They're the only ones found by an extensive search of Espanola Island in the mid-'60s.
0:28:44 > 0:28:48Their fate would have been the same as Lonesome George,
0:28:48 > 0:28:53but for the fact there are 15 of them - three males and twelve females.
0:28:56 > 0:29:01For such ponderous animals, they can be remarkably frisky.
0:29:04 > 0:29:07They're also remarkably fertile.
0:29:07 > 0:29:08If mating is successful,
0:29:08 > 0:29:14a female tortoise will dig a hole in the ground and lay up to 20 eggs.
0:29:18 > 0:29:23Fausto is not only caretaker of Lonesome George, but also head
0:29:23 > 0:29:25of this captive-breeding programme,
0:29:25 > 0:29:29and he and his team have achieved spectacular success.
0:29:39 > 0:29:43These three-month-old babies will be fed and sheltered under Fausto's
0:29:43 > 0:29:48watchful eye until big and strong enough to fend for themselves.
0:29:48 > 0:29:53The plan is then to return them to their native Espanola Island.
0:29:59 > 0:30:03Following this success, tortoise breeding programmes were
0:30:03 > 0:30:08established for other tortoise populations on other islands.
0:30:08 > 0:30:12Isabela Island is by far the largest in Galapagos.
0:30:12 > 0:30:17It has five distinct tortoise populations on five volcanoes.
0:30:23 > 0:30:25This central volcano
0:30:25 > 0:30:29is home to the largest population in the archipelago.
0:30:29 > 0:30:32They number several thousand animals.
0:30:34 > 0:30:37Because they live in these inaccessible heights,
0:30:37 > 0:30:41they escaped the ravages of the 18th- and 19th-century sailors.
0:30:43 > 0:30:47The two southern populations didn't fare so well.
0:30:50 > 0:30:55Incidents of illegal tortoise hunting and eating still occur today.
0:30:56 > 0:31:00It's thought this is the work of disgruntled fishermen sending
0:31:00 > 0:31:03a grisly message to the National Park.
0:31:10 > 0:31:14A new breeding centre was established by the National Park
0:31:14 > 0:31:18to rescue the two southern populations of Isabela tortoises.
0:31:22 > 0:31:26Oscar Carvajal runs the breeding programme.
0:31:26 > 0:31:31Though troubled by the continuing hunting, Oscar is concerned by a more insidious
0:31:31 > 0:31:34danger facing the tortoises -
0:31:34 > 0:31:39another legacy of man's arrival on these once pristine islands.
0:32:06 > 0:32:12Goats are perfectly adapted to the arid Galapagos climate.
0:32:12 > 0:32:17They will feed on almost anything, and have an incredible capacity to reproduce.
0:32:17 > 0:32:21Introduce a few animals onto an island, and after a few years
0:32:21 > 0:32:24there will be several thousand.
0:32:28 > 0:32:33Goats are the biggest threat to tortoises on most of the islands,
0:32:33 > 0:32:35including Isabela.
0:32:35 > 0:32:40They strip the vegetation bare, leaving nothing for the tortoises to eat.
0:32:45 > 0:32:49Giant tortoises evolved, in the absence of mammals,
0:32:49 > 0:32:52as the principal herbivore on the Galapagos Islands.
0:32:52 > 0:32:56They simply cannot compete with the fleet-footed,
0:32:56 > 0:32:58rapidly reproducing goats.
0:32:58 > 0:33:01The National Park decided this severe problem
0:33:01 > 0:33:04needed a radical solution.
0:33:27 > 0:33:29Helicopters and sharp-shooters
0:33:29 > 0:33:34flown in from New Zealand patrolled 400,000 hectares
0:33:34 > 0:33:37of goat-infested island - a landscape denuded
0:33:37 > 0:33:39by the insatiable pests.
0:33:56 > 0:34:02There were 100,000 goats on northern Isabela alone. Now there are none.
0:34:02 > 0:34:07It's the first time such a large-scale mammal eradication project
0:34:07 > 0:34:09has achieved such success.
0:34:55 > 0:35:00The value of goat eradication is certainly not lost on Fausto.
0:35:00 > 0:35:05The latest generation of offspring from the 15 Espanola tortoises
0:35:05 > 0:35:09rescued from the wild are almost ready for release onto their native island.
0:35:11 > 0:35:13They're weighed and measured
0:35:13 > 0:35:16and will then be quarantined for two months.
0:35:16 > 0:35:20Their return to Espanola will be timed to coincide
0:35:20 > 0:35:24with the rainy season, to ensure there is vegetation for them to eat.
0:35:30 > 0:35:34Espanola is a small, uninhabited and sparsely vegetated island
0:35:34 > 0:35:37in the south of the archipelago.
0:35:39 > 0:35:45This island, like Isabela, was once over-run with goats, but not any more.
0:35:45 > 0:35:49The island's small size made the goat cull here
0:35:49 > 0:35:51a much easier prospect than on Isabela.
0:35:51 > 0:35:57The last goat was shot in 1978 and since then, Fausto has been bringing
0:35:57 > 0:36:00baby tortoises back to Espanola.
0:37:07 > 0:37:13With their island free of goats, the future of Espanola's tortoises ought to be assured.
0:37:13 > 0:37:15But that's not the end of the story.
0:37:15 > 0:37:20The National Park have received threats from angry fishermen that
0:37:20 > 0:37:24goats might at any time be released back onto the remoter islands.
0:37:26 > 0:37:30And there are other threats far harder to pinpoint and deal with
0:37:30 > 0:37:34that affect not just tortoises but all the endemic species.
0:37:34 > 0:37:40They arise from the very source that some have hailed as the salvation of the animals of the Galapagos.
0:37:45 > 0:37:49Three planes a day fly in from the mainland.
0:37:51 > 0:37:56Visitors from all around the world arrive, eager to see for themselves
0:37:56 > 0:38:01the remarkably tame wildlife in this apparently pristine archipelago.
0:38:01 > 0:38:03But the endless stream of people
0:38:03 > 0:38:07has brought to an end the islands' isolation.
0:38:07 > 0:38:10The isolation that was for so long
0:38:10 > 0:38:14the Galapagos wildlife's best protection from human disturbance.
0:38:14 > 0:38:19The tourists could be endangering the wildlife they've come to see.
0:38:20 > 0:38:26The endemic animals have evolved largely free from competition or disease.
0:38:26 > 0:38:31This leaves them especially vulnerable to any germs the visitors might be inadvertently carrying.
0:38:37 > 0:38:41Giant tortoises have been dying from a type of influenza,
0:38:41 > 0:38:44similar to that found in humans.
0:38:48 > 0:38:53Verna Cedeo is head of a new genetics lab set up in Galapagos
0:38:53 > 0:38:55to help with conservation,
0:38:55 > 0:39:00identifying potential biological threats to the wildlife and seeking solutions.
0:39:04 > 0:39:08The tortoise has to be immobilised before its health check.
0:39:08 > 0:39:14This tortoise is one of a population living
0:39:14 > 0:39:19in the highlands of Santa Cruz,
0:39:19 > 0:39:24the island with the highest human population and greatest number of visiting tourists.
0:39:24 > 0:39:30So far, the tortoise numbers are not being seriously affected by the virus.
0:39:31 > 0:39:37This monitoring is to make sure the situation doesn't get any worse.
0:39:37 > 0:39:41But the threat from disease is a serious one.
0:40:18 > 0:40:22Although the tortoises of Santa Cruz may be safeguarded for now,
0:40:22 > 0:40:28very worrying results are coming to light in studies of another iconic Galapagan creature.
0:40:32 > 0:40:37Darwin's finches, so named because they are said to have inspired
0:40:37 > 0:40:41the great naturalist's theory of evolution, are a group of 13 species
0:40:41 > 0:40:44of birds endemic to the islands.
0:40:44 > 0:40:49Each species has a unique role within the islands' ecology.
0:40:53 > 0:40:58Sarah Huber has been investigating a population of these birds
0:40:58 > 0:41:03in the highlands of Santa Cruz above the main town of Puerto Ayora.
0:41:05 > 0:41:09She has uncovered a potential disaster.
0:41:12 > 0:41:16These maggots are the larvae of a parasitic fly.
0:41:16 > 0:41:19They literally eat the nestlings alive.
0:41:19 > 0:41:23As you get more and more parasites, their feeding holes become bigger and
0:41:23 > 0:41:26you actually get these large holes in the body cavity.
0:41:26 > 0:41:31If the parasite is prevalent throughout the entire island, and
0:41:31 > 0:41:38we see rates of mortality like this on the entire island, then chances of extinction are very likely.
0:41:40 > 0:41:44These Darwin's finches, famous for bringing the idea of evolution
0:41:44 > 0:41:50to life, are following Lonesome George down the road to extinction.
0:41:50 > 0:41:53The parasite, I guess, came from mainland Ecuador.
0:41:53 > 0:41:56Nobody really knows how it got over.
0:41:56 > 0:42:02Speculations are that it came with food or other, you know, on a boat or an airplane.
0:42:04 > 0:42:06The port of Puerto Ayora,
0:42:06 > 0:42:10capital of the tourism industry, is constantly buzzing with activity.
0:42:13 > 0:42:17Everyday, boats are bringing goods from the mainland to provide for
0:42:17 > 0:42:22the tourists, and all the people who work in the tourist industry.
0:42:22 > 0:42:27Every boat carries the risk of alien species hiding among the cartons of fruit and veg.
0:42:27 > 0:42:31And the flow of goods is only set to increase.
0:42:32 > 0:42:38Tourism in Galapagos is growing by 10% every year.
0:42:40 > 0:42:45The sleepy fishing town of Puerto Villamil on Isabela,
0:42:45 > 0:42:51former centre of the sea cucumber fishery, is already preparing for a fresh economic boom.
0:42:52 > 0:42:57A new airport will be receiving flights directly from the mainland by the end of the year.
0:42:59 > 0:43:02The islanders are busy getting ready for a flood of visitors.
0:43:02 > 0:43:04New hotels and restaurants
0:43:04 > 0:43:08are going up all over town.
0:43:11 > 0:43:15The boom in tourism is driving a boom in immigration.
0:43:19 > 0:43:24The resident population of Galapagos is increasing by 6% every year.
0:43:24 > 0:43:31After all, tourism has made these islands one of Ecuador's richest provinces.
0:44:03 > 0:44:08But once here, the immigrants also feel the pressure of so many people.
0:44:29 > 0:44:34Puerto Ayora is rapidly filling every corner of space set aside
0:44:34 > 0:44:37for the town by the National Park.
0:44:37 > 0:44:42The buildings are going up to house people drawn in from the mainland
0:44:42 > 0:44:46to fill jobs created by the ever-expanding tourism industry.
0:44:46 > 0:44:52Tourism and consequently population growth is spiralling out of control.
0:45:36 > 0:45:40One thing is for sure, tourism is here to stay.
0:45:40 > 0:45:44To limit the risk of introducing alien species and disease, there
0:45:44 > 0:45:48need to be major changes to the way tourism is managed and supported.
0:45:48 > 0:45:51The flood of imports to feed the tourists, for example,
0:45:51 > 0:45:56needs to be minimised, and that means food self-sufficiency.
0:45:56 > 0:46:00There is little established agriculture on Galapagos.
0:46:00 > 0:46:02A large acreage of the verdant highlands was
0:46:02 > 0:46:06cleared by early settlers before the National Park was ever created,
0:46:06 > 0:46:08but this was just for cattle.
0:46:10 > 0:46:16Now these pastures hold the potential for a self-sustainable archipelago, if the problems
0:46:16 > 0:46:22of growing vegetables organically on these soils can be ironed out.
0:46:22 > 0:46:26The organisation Fundar Galapagos
0:46:26 > 0:46:30aims to promote new ways of life for the islanders.
0:47:14 > 0:47:19Self-sufficiency would clearly reduce the volume of imports,
0:47:19 > 0:47:22but it requires the acceptance of fewer exotic goods by local people,
0:47:22 > 0:47:26especially by the stream of new arrivals who don't all appreciate
0:47:26 > 0:47:29the need to live within sustainable limits.
0:47:29 > 0:47:33Immigration is being driven by a demand for skilled labour.
0:47:53 > 0:47:57A new generation of local residents need to be better qualified for
0:47:57 > 0:48:01a life in tourism, if the influx of outsiders is to be stemmed.
0:48:01 > 0:48:05One initiative is this cookery class established in the town's largest school.
0:48:05 > 0:48:12The project is run by Chef Pablo Guerrero from one of the larger hotels.
0:48:43 > 0:48:48The idea is not simply to teach the students haute cuisine, but to give them a better
0:48:48 > 0:48:53understanding of why this place they live in is so special and why there
0:48:53 > 0:48:57needs to be restrictions in place to preserve the islands.
0:49:29 > 0:49:32There are many ways an educated and enlightened generation
0:49:32 > 0:49:37of Galapagans could contribute to the protection of their islands.
0:49:37 > 0:49:42Virna Cedea regularly invites school classes into her genetics laboratory
0:49:42 > 0:49:46to give them an insight into conservation work within Galapagos.
0:50:27 > 0:50:32A new generation of native islanders, appreciating conservation and the need to live sustainably,
0:50:32 > 0:50:38who reject the mentality of "take what you can without regard for the future"
0:50:38 > 0:50:42surely offer the best hope for the preservation of these islands.
0:52:48 > 0:52:53The future of these islands really does lie with the people who live here.
0:52:53 > 0:52:57If the people of Galapagos can pull together towards a shared goal
0:52:57 > 0:53:02to preserve what is theirs, the crisis might yet be averted.
0:53:04 > 0:53:09Galapagos is still the most pristine tropical archipelago in the world,
0:53:09 > 0:53:14but it no longer enjoys the isolation that both shaped and preserved it.
0:53:14 > 0:53:18It remains a global treasure, a unique Garden of Eden.
0:53:18 > 0:53:25But a greater understanding of its fragility is needed, if its beauty and innocence is to be sustained.
0:53:30 > 0:53:34The alternative is staring us in the face.
0:53:34 > 0:53:37Like a ghost back from the grave, Lonesome George
0:53:37 > 0:53:42is an ever-present reminder of the vulnerability of Galapagos wildlife.
0:53:42 > 0:53:49Even though Lonesome was saved, the Pinta tortoise is effectively extinct.
0:53:49 > 0:53:52But that's not the end of the story for Pinta Island.
0:53:52 > 0:53:56The National Park hope to return it to the condition that existed
0:53:56 > 0:53:59before the first human set foot there.
0:53:59 > 0:54:01Central to this ambition,
0:54:01 > 0:54:06and right next door to Lonesome, are the Espanola tortoises.
0:54:06 > 0:54:07Genetic studies have revealed0
0:54:07 > 0:54:11they are the closest relation to Lonesome George,
0:54:11 > 0:54:17making Espanola tortoises the most likely ancestors of those on Pinta.
0:54:17 > 0:54:20But the two islands are at opposite ends of the archipelago,
0:54:20 > 0:54:24which begs the question, how did the ancestors of Lonesome George
0:54:24 > 0:54:28make it from Espanola all the way to Pinta?
0:54:28 > 0:54:32It's probably 150 miles away, I wouldn't be surprised.
0:54:32 > 0:54:38But if you look at the sweep of the Humboldt current coming up South America
0:54:38 > 0:54:40and through the archipelago,
0:54:40 > 0:54:45it sort of washes around Espanola and carries on up to Pinta.
0:54:45 > 0:54:52So the tortoise wouldn't need to do any cross-current dynamic swimming.
0:54:52 > 0:54:56It would just need to accidentally fall in the sea and survive a week
0:54:56 > 0:54:59or two, bobbing around like a cork in the ocean,
0:54:59 > 0:55:03because the same shell and the same thick skin that allow this animal
0:55:03 > 0:55:06to survive where you and I would die
0:55:06 > 0:55:09of thirst in two days, keeps the sea water out.
0:55:09 > 0:55:13And the other good thing is, they have long necks,
0:55:13 > 0:55:17so a normal tortoise would probably find its head under water
0:55:17 > 0:55:21most of the time if it was floating at sea,
0:55:21 > 0:55:23but these have a little periscope-like head.
0:55:25 > 0:55:30They just have to have the luck and the lottery of life to wash up on Pinta.
0:55:40 > 0:55:45Fausto is returning to Pinta Island for the first time in 30 years.
0:55:47 > 0:55:52He is accompanied by a team of National Park Rangers and their hunting dogs.
0:55:52 > 0:55:55They are here to to check that the island is free of goats.
0:55:57 > 0:56:04The National Park officials are considering a plan to put Espanola tortoises onto Pinta Island.
0:56:15 > 0:56:18Pinta is one of the remotest and least-visited islands
0:56:18 > 0:56:20in the Galapagos.
0:56:20 > 0:56:25Nobody has ever lived here, and tourists are forbidden from visiting these shores.
0:56:27 > 0:56:31It remains one of the most untouched islands
0:56:31 > 0:56:35in an archipelago itself heralded as the most pristine in the world.
0:56:38 > 0:56:41The only major disturbances have been the slaughter
0:56:41 > 0:56:46of the tortoises and introduction of three goats in the '50s.
0:56:46 > 0:56:49Their 40,000 descendants were eradicated 20 years later
0:56:49 > 0:56:52by Fausto and a team of rangers.
0:57:34 > 0:57:38Now that the goats have gone, the island has no large herbivores,
0:57:38 > 0:57:43the role once fulfilled by the ancestors of Lonesome George.
0:57:43 > 0:57:47Thinking ecologically, you might want to put Espanola tortoises on Pinta,
0:57:47 > 0:57:51just to make the ecology complete.
0:57:51 > 0:57:55And possibly even repeat the evolutionary experiment that led
0:57:55 > 0:57:56from Espanola to Pinta tortoises
0:57:56 > 0:58:00at some fairly remote time in the past.
0:58:00 > 0:58:01Give it another try.
0:58:01 > 0:58:04See if the island shapes them the same way.
0:58:40 > 0:58:44Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd - 2006
0:58:44 > 0:58:48E-mail subtitling@bbc.co.uk