Grants Awarded 2006

The International Iguana Foundation Announces Grants for 2006

The Board of Directors of the International Iguana Foundation (IIF) held their annual meeting in Puerto Rico on 13 – 14 November 2006. Five grants totaling $39,940 were awarded. for the following projects:

Status and Conservation of the black-chested spiny-tail iguana, Ctenosaura melanosterna, in the Cayo Cochinos Archipelago, $5,500.Chad Montgomery, PhD.

Provides support for the study the ecology, demography, population size, and genetic relatedness of Ctenosaura melanosterna on Cayo Peque_o and Cayo Grande to gather information necessary for the development of a management plan for the species. The outcome of this project will be a long term management plan developed in cooperation with the Honduran Coral Reef Foundation and Operacion Wallacea to ensure protection of C. melanosterna within the Cayos Cochinos Archipelago. The management plan will also have direct implications for the Rio Aguan Valley population of Ctenosaura melanosterna.

IUCN Red List classification:  Critically Endangered

Molecular evaluation of the Ctenosaura melanosterna clade, $5,000. Stesha Pasachnik.

The goals of this project are to use a molecular phylogenetic approach to evaluate species boundaries and define new boundaries if needed within the Ctenosaura melanosterna clade, to evaluate the degree and direction of introgression between the island endemic Ctenosaura bakeri and a wide ranging congener C. similis, and to date the colonization events of C. bakeri, C. oedirhina, C. similis, and C. melanosterna to the Bay Islands. In completing these goals conservation biologists and managers will be able to know where and how to target conservation efforts that will aid in the protection of four endangered species.

IUCN Red List classification:  Critically Endangered

Conservation Biology of the Critically Endangered Fijian Crested Iguana, Brachylophus vitiensis, $5,000.Suzanne Morrison, Peter Harlow, PhD, and Scott Keogh, PhD.

This is essentially a natural history study, but one with long-term conservation implications for this iconic animal and for Fiji. Basic information on breeding biology, habitat use, habitat assembly and resilience, diet, and recruitment of young will be used to inform a sound conservation program for this lizard with the ultimate goal of establishing additional viable populations through translocations and reintroductions. In addition, information will be collected on two species that pose potential threats to the iguanas and the ecosystem, Pacific rats and crazy ants.

IUCN Red List classification:  Critically Endangered

Estimation of Ricord’s iguana, Cyclura ricordi, population densities and reproduction, and implementation of conservation measures in the Pedernales Province, Neiba Valley (Dominican Republic), and Anse-a-Pitres (Haiti), $11,000. Sixto Inchaustegui, Yvonne Arias and Ernst Rupp.

This project seeks to complement the basic information needed to implement adequate management measures for the conservation of this species and to integrate local governments and local support groups into the conservation program. Population density studies will be implemented and reproduction will be monitored in the Pedernales, Anse-a-Pitres, and Enriquillo Valley regions.

IUCN Red List classification:  Critically Endangered

Conservation and management of the Turks and Caicos iguana, Cyclura carinata, $11,440.Glenn Gerber, PhD.

This project addresses key conservation activities identified in the Turks and Caicos Iguana Conservation and Management Plan including: 1) continued monitoring of iguana populations translocated in 2002/2003 to document their progress, 2) conducting iguana population assessments for Little Water, Water, and Pine Cays to serve as a baseline for measuring population recovery rates following a cat eradication scheduled to commence in July 2007 by Island Conservation and 3) assistance with Island Conservation’s efforts to ensure resident iguana populations are safeguarded during the cat eradication process.

IUCN Red List classification:  Critically Endangered

Production of the Jamaican iguana Species Recovery Plan document, $2,000.Byron Wilson, PhD.

IUCN Red List classification:  Endangered