Spiny-Tailed Iguanas

That a group of species could slip quietly towards extinction without a serious response from the conservation community is alarming. With the well publicized exception of the Utila iguana, C. bakeri, the other three species – C. oedirhina from Roatan, C. melanosterna from Cayos Cochinos and the Rio Aguan Valley of northern mainland Honduras and C. palearis of the Motagua Valley in Guatemala – had, until recently, largely managed to escape the attention of most iguana biologists. During the 2005 and 2006 Iguana Specialist Group (ISG) meetings, the threats facing the C. melanosterna group were discussed and a Ctenosaura working group organized. Hunting and overharvesting of eggs, combined with loss of habitat, primarily from conversion to agriculture (Guatemala) or tourist resorts (Honduras), are the leading threats. To further highlight the conservation concerns of these threatened lizards, the ISG decided to conduct a management plan workshop in Honduras, in November 2007.

Funds are needed to provide support for locals to participate in the workshop. Please consider a contribution to Project Ctenosaura.