Complete restoration of Pinta requires the presence of giant tortoises. There are indications, however, that some of the endemic plant species that require substantial light, such as the Darwin Aster, Galápagos Cotton, and Galápagos Passionflower, could be negatively affected by the unchecked regeneration of Pinta’s vegetation. Fortunately, it appears that the intense grazing pressure by goats was stopped before any of Pinta’s plant species became extinct and the vegetation recovered rapidly in the absence of goats. Goat numbers were greatly reduced in the 1970s, but complete eradication was not achieved until 1999, when Pinta was used as a training ground for Project Isabela. With the explosion of the goat population following the release of goats on Pinta in 1959, the vegetation and forest habitats on Pinta went through a long period of degradation. Project Pinta is aimed at restoring the giant tortoise to this island and thus restoring the ecosystem.

Used as a training ground for Project Isabela, the complete removal of goats in 1999 resulted in Pinta being one of the islands with almost no exotic species, although it continues to lack its largest species, the giant tortoise. However, a group of conservationists, scientists, and resource managers are working to restore Pinta. Today it stands as a sober reminder of the destructive impact of humans on fragile ecosystems. Until the mid-19th century, it was also home to thousands of Pinta tortoises-giant saddleback tortoises endemic to this island. Pinta has long been home to Swallow-tailed Gulls, marine iguanas, Galápagos Hawks, fur seals, and a number of other unique bird, reptile, and plant species. For more than 35 years, Lonesome George has remained at the Tortoise Center on Santa Cruz, where his exhibition can be seen today. The sole known surviving Pinta tortoise, Lonesome George, was spotted in 1971 and taken into captivity the following year no other live tortoise has been found since. Goats were introduced to Pinta in 1959 and a subsequent population explosion caused massive ecosystem degradation. Fishermen also opportunistically slaughtered tortoises through the mid 1900s. By the early 20th century, the Pinta tortoise was likely ecologically extinct. During the 1800s, whalers removed large numbers of Pinta tortoises as a food resource on their long journeys. Pinta is the original home of Lonesome George, perhaps the most famous tortoise in the world. Pinta is a shield volcano with numerous young cones and lava flows along NNW-trending fissures. Originally named for the Earl of Abingdon, the island’s official Ecuadorian name is Isla Pinta, named after one of the three ships sailed to the New World by Columbus. Pinta Island is the northernmost of the larger islands and is relatively isolated from the rest of the archipelago.

Pinta island tortoise predators