The Galapagos Islands in Ecuador are a United Nations World Heritage site and are one of the Underwater Wonders of the World. Throughout its existence, the Galapagos Islands have faced illegal fishing activities, including shark fining, and unauthorized boats incursions that leave oil spills behind them. The Galapagos National Park currently attempts to patrol the 133,000 square kilometers of marine reserve using a single manned airplane. In an attempt to find a better solution, the Galapagos UAV Project Team has partnered with the Galapagos National Park to develop a fleet of Unmanned Aerial Systems to patrol the reserve. Each vehicle in the fleet will be capable of 12 to 16 hours endurance and will transmit real-time images to a ground station. The Galapagos UAV Project has the complete support of the Galapagos National Park, Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University and Universidad San Francisco de Quito.
