The habitat of the tortoises was threatened when feral goats crossed from southern Isabela Island in the 1970s and then reproduced rapidly.

[2] Alcedo volcano is similar to its neighbours to the north, Darwin and to the south, Sierra Negra which also have shallow slopes for the majority of their height.

[3] This contrasts with the other major shield volcanoes, Cerro Azul, Wolf on Isabela and Fernandina that have much steeper slopes and have calderas that have a depth which is 40-60% of the sub-aerial height.

[6] In a 2003 study of the species of Galapagos tortoise on Alcedo, Chelonoidis vandenburghi, the genetic diversity was shown to be much lower than would be expected in a population of its size, currently estimated to be approximately 4000.

This low diversity is believed to be caused by a massive reduction in the population approximately 100,000 years ago.

They were hunted by early sailors to the islands as tortoises provided a food source on subsequent voyages.

The goats affected the environment that was detrimental to the native tortoises, eating plants that were the food source for them.