Utila for sale: where will the Iguanas go?

The Ctenosaura Bakeri iguana is endemic to the island of Utila.

By RACHEL BURGESS and MARIA FIALLOS

UTILA — The International Iguana Society gathered this week on Utila, the smallest of the Bay Islands of Honduras, to promote the protection of iguanas, discuss methods of conservation and share research. Members of the Iguana Society, volunteers and Honduran biology students attended the convention.

Investigation of the native Utila iguana began in 1994 when leading Herpetologist, Dr. Gunther Kohler, rediscovered C. Bakeri and came to the conclusion the animal was in danger of extinction mainly due to hunting pressures. That same year Kohler set up the Conservation Project Utila Iguana (CPUI). By 1998, the project had received sufficient funding to complete the Iguana Breeding and Research Station that has provided a base for conservation efforts.

Although seventeen species of spiny-tailed iguana inhabit the area extending from Yucatan to Panama, the Ctenosaura Bakeri iguana is endemic to the island of Utila. The C. Bakeri is unique in that it lives in and feeds on the mangrove trees in swamp areas, but requires the beach for nesting. “To watch these creatures climbing trees and creating their nests is just beautiful,” exclaimed one iguana enthusiast, “the people of Honduras are lucky to have such an unique reptile.” However, their complex habitat needs makes conservation of their habitat extremely difficult, especially when any undeveloped land left is being divided up and sold to private buyers, and the mangroves are being used as a dumping ground.
To increase problems, the C. Bakeri population, known affectionately as the “Swamper,” has been affected by a variety of feral predators that include rats, dogs, cats and pigs. Adding to this is competition from other herbivores for vegetation and the introduction on the island of invasive plant species.

“THE CONSERVATION OF REPTILES IS A HARD SALE”

One of the Iguana Society’s primary areas of interest is conservation through education. “The majority of educational programs have been purposely aimed at schools so as to increase environmental awareness in future generations,” says AJ Gutman, writer, environmentalist and CPUI Secretary. Sometimes, local children hunt iguanas for recreational pleasure. “However, perhaps the worst threat of all is from hunters who are killing the iguanas for food. These are primarily unemployed or low salary workers who consume them for their high protein content as a dietary supplement,” she said. The project works hard at keeping the public aware of a year round ban on iguana hunting and apparently the illegal poaching of the animal is on the decline. Still, “the conservation of reptiles is a hard sale everywhere,” said John Binns, who has been working to protect the dragon-like lizards with the organization.

On a more positive note, efforts towards increasing survival rates of young iguanas have proved successful. Pregnant female iguanas are taken to the Iguana Station where their eggs are incubated after being laid in artificial nests. Fifty percent of the hatchlings are released back into their natural environment, whilst the remaining half remain in captivity until the age of two before being released, thus giving them a better chance of surviving.
During the week, the society organized excursions to see the endangered Swampers in their natural habitat. Conservation activities included cleaning the beaches of litter and pulling up an imported invasive vine, which is taking over the nesting grounds.

Currently, CPUI is hoping to purchase a section of land, which will extend from the shoreline to the mangroves. If plans go ahead this will be a major advancement in the conservation of iguanas in Utila. “The Utila Iguana is timid and easily stressed, one of the likely reasons it selected the swamps as it’s home long ago, never realizing of course that they would someday begin to disappear. Unlike the sea turtles that have the ability to travel great distances in search of other undisturbed nesting areas, the fate of the Utila Iguana and other iguanas in the West Indies hangs solely on the whims of man. Our mission is to help secure a small section of critical habitat for these animals so that in generations to come, man will be able to enjoy the wildlife and it’s habitat as we did on our visit - we just hope it is not too late,” says Binns.

The next step now is raising the funds to continue with this venture.
To find out more about the Iguana Society and their conservation projects, or to volunteer with the project, please contact them at www.utila-iguana.de, www.cyclura.com or www.utila-iguana.org.