This report presents the action-based research project process and outcomes of the “Leveraging Empowered Circular Communities in the Galápagos Islands” project, funded by the LDE Global program. Leiden-Delft-Erasmus (LDE) Universities support initiatives that foster research co-creation between LDE institutions and scholars from the Majority-World countries in Africa, South and Southeast Asia, and Latin America. Our project, launched in July 2023 and running through April 2025, aims to embed circular economy (CE) principles in the seafood system of Santa Cruz Island, Galápagos.

This initiative unites the Universidad de Las Américas (UDLA) of Ecuador, the Delft Centre of Entrepreneurship (DCE) at Delft University of Technology (TU Delft), the Circular Community Foundation (CCF), the Institute for Housing and Urban Development Studies (IHS) at Erasmus University Rotterdam, the Institute of Biology at Leiden University, and the Pelican Bay Fishing Cooperative of the Galápagos Islands.

The LDE Global fund backs initiatives to encourage inclusive research partnerships and innovative community outreach. The financial support for this particular research project has enabled multi-stakeholder workshops, fish waste assessment of several endemic species, the production of a short-documentary and reels snapshots, photos, local multi-stakeholder interviews, training and prototyping activities for fish leather, an outreach booklet, several research outcomes produced by bachelor and master students from TU Delft and Leiden universities, one fully submitted manuscript, and three in progress to be submitted by the end of 2025. By co-creating and co-developing circular and regenerative interventions with local fishers, entrepreneurs, municipal authorities, and chefs, the project aims to transform fish waste into value-added products, reduce environmental harm, and fortify economic opportunities for coastal communities on the island of Santa Cruz in the archipelago.