QUITO, Ecuador (AP) — The prediction that this season’s El Nino phenomenon will be stronger than normal has alarmed the Ecuadorian scientific community, which has warned of its impact on the flora and fauna of the Galapagos Islands, home to the highest concentration of species not found elsewhere on Earth.

The archipelago of more than 230 islands — of which only four are inhabited — is located in the middle of the Pacific Ocean, 1,000 kilometers (620 miles) off the coast of Ecuador.