Wilson Iñiguez
Junior Investigator, Marine Biologist
Wilson, a marine biologist who graduated from Universidad Técnica Particular de Loja (UTPL). He has collaborated on various projects at the Charles Darwin Foundation (CDF). After volunteering with the Land Birds Project in 2016, he returned in 2017 as a field assistant for a Vienna University Ph.D. student, that same year he was serving as the Logistics and Security Officer for the CDF. Wilson later joined the Marine Invasive Species Program as a field assistant and participated as well in the Subtidal Ecological Monitoring Project until 2019 when he pursued his master’s at Malaga University, Spain. His master’s thesis focused on analyzing ships in the Galapagos as potential vectors for marine species dispersal. The results of this research are in the process of being published.
In late 2020, Wilson rejoined the Marine Invasive Species Program as a junior researcher, aspiring to deepen his understanding of marine ecological interactions. He aims to utilize technological tools to generate high-quality information for effectively managing the marine invasive species threatening the Galapagos archipelago.
Wilson's programs
Ocean
Marine biodiversity researchThe introduction of alien species is arguably the most important driver of biodiversity loss for oceanic islands. Our work seeks to evaluate the effects of alien invasive species, climate change, and other anthropogenic pressures on the biodiversity of the Galapagos Marine Reserve and the Eastern Tropical Pacific in order to better sustain coastal communities and prevent marine species extinction.