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This area, off the coast of Ecuador, is a biological gem with nearly 3,000 marine species; 20% of which are not found anywhere else in the world. The 25,000 people who live on the islands rely on the marine life and the thriving ocean for their economy as well as small-scale fishing for food security. The Galapagos struggles with illegal fishing, particularly shark poaching run amok - which led to a collapse of the fishery the community relies on. The park rangers lacked the funding required to successfully protect the reserve.
WildAid has been working in the Galapagos for 20 years and has used their model to secure sustainable funding and training for the rangers. Now that the rangers have resources and support, their work has reinvigorated marine life. The Galapagos now boast the densest shark population in the world.