IAEA and Ecuador Launch Advanced Laboratory to Combat Galapagos Microplastics Crisis

In a landmark development for environmental conservation, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and the government of Ecuador officially inaugurated the Oceanography and Microplastics Laboratory on Santa Cruz Island in the Galapagos Archipelago. This significant initiative, launched this July, aims to address the escalating threat posed by marine microplastic pollution in one of the world's most ecologically sensitive areas.

The Galapagos Islands, located approximately 1000 kilometres west of mainland Ecuador, are recognized globally for their extraordinary biodiversity, a legacy of unique evolutionary processes attributed to their remote and isolated geographical location. Designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site, the islands are under continuous threat from human-induced environmental stressors, particularly plastic pollution.

Annually, the islands face an influx of approximately six tonnes of plastic waste washing ashore, prompting robust cleanup and monitoring programmes. Yet, the insidious nature of microplastics—tiny plastic particles smaller than five millimetres—requires advanced and precise methods for detection and analysis. These minute particles present significant risks to marine life, entering food chains, and ultimately affecting biodiversity.

To meet this critical challenge, the new laboratory leverages sophisticated nuclear-derived techniques provided by the IAEA. These advanced analytical tools can detect and characterize microplastic particles that are invisible to traditional monitoring methods. Currently focusing on water samples, the laboratory will soon extend its analytical capacities to include sediment and biological samples, offering unprecedented insights into polymer types, distribution patterns, and ecological impacts.

IAEA Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi, addressing the laboratory's inauguration via video on 17 July, highlighted the facility's strategic importance. He emphasized that the laboratory "will be an active partner in environmental monitoring and reporting of microplastic pollution for Ecuador, including the Galapagos Islands," underlining the pivotal role it will play in preserving the region’s biodiversity.

Grossi further remarked, “The laboratory offers new opportunities to conduct studies on the environmental impact on the vulnerable and relevant biodiversity of the islands, helping authorities to take and implement more precise control measures aimed at the protection and conservation of the Galapagos National Park.”

This initiative is a core element of the IAEA’s broader NUTEC Plastics programme, launched in 2020 to assist countries worldwide in researching microplastics and enhancing plastic recycling technologies using nuclear methodologies. Building on experiences from similar projects in critical ecosystems such as Antarctica, where microplastics research was initiated in 2024, the Galapagos project marks a vital expansion of the programme’s global reach.

The laboratory’s cutting-edge equipment and analytical capabilities, funded through an IAEA technical cooperation grant of nearly €1 million, will significantly bolster local capacities to monitor marine stressors beyond microplastics, including ocean acidification and eutrophication—issues equally damaging to marine ecosystems.

Institutions like the Galapagos National Park and the Escuela Superior Politécnica del Litoral (ESPOL) in Guayaquil are also benefiting from strengthened monitoring and analytical training. This collaborative framework ensures that local and national authorities have the precise data needed to formulate and implement targeted mitigation strategies.

Moreover, data generated by the Oceanography and Microplastics Laboratory will directly support the global efforts of the IAEA Marine Environment Laboratories based in Monaco, contributing to an expanding international network dedicated to marine conservation. By accurately identifying pollution sources and dispersal patterns, the lab’s findings will significantly enhance regional and global responses to microplastic contamination.

As the laboratory begins its crucial work, expectations are high that this initiative will deliver long-term benefits, safeguarding the unique ecosystems of the Galapagos and setting a global benchmark for marine environmental stewardship.