The iconic view from Bartolome Island looking over at Santiago. Sadly, introduced plants and animals have severely depleted Santiago’s native species. An onslaught of goats, pigs and dogs caused the extinction of it’s once huge population of land iguana. Fortunately, these feral species have since been brought under control but other introduced species such as rats and fire ants continue to be a problem to the island’s native fauna and flora. The long-term survival of Santiago’s endemic tortoise is currently reliant on breeding programmes run by the Galapagos National Park.
