In the Galapagos Islands, future prosperity depends on delicately balancing growth spurred by the red-hot ecotourism trend while also protecting the environment. Home to the world-renowned Galapagos National Park, only three percent of the islands may be developed for other uses.
For several years, the University has had a unique presence in the islands through the interdisciplinary Galapagos Initiative, spearheaded by Steve Walsh, director of the University's Center for Galapagos Studies. That’s now bolstered with the addition of the Galapagos Science Center on the island of San Cristobal. The center is housed in a new 12,000-square-foot building designed, constructed and operated jointly by UNC-Chapel Hill and the Universidad San Francisco de Quito, a top private university in Ecuador. (USFQ’s chancellor, Santiago Gangotena, is a Carolina alumnus.)
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