As part of our Tools and Tech to Save Iguanas year-end fundraising campaign, we asked some iguana conservation researchers to share their experiences in the field—and how important their equipment is to what they do. They had some great stories to relate!
If you’d like to donate to our Tools and Tech to Save Iguanas campaign to help fund field conservationists please click here. Thank you!
Saving the “Shero” in the Motagua Valley, Guatemala
By Johana Gil, Heloderma Nature Reserve, Guatemala
As the sun begins to light up the horizon, we venture into the Heloderma Nature Reserve. The heat is stifling, and the terrain is dry and rugged. We walk along dusty trails, surrounded by tall cacti, thorny shrubs, Gila monsters, and rattlesnakes in a landscape that, though desolate, has a unique beauty. Our mission is to track the endemic and endangered Motagua Spiny-tailed Iguana (Ctenosaura palearis), or “Shero,” in its natural habitat, observe its behavior, and, above all, protect this species that depends so greatly on us. Yet, with every step we take, there’s a challenge: the equipment we carry is often insufficient for the extreme conditions we face in the field.
We pause and spot a flash of movement—it’s an iguana, barely visible among the branches. There it is, camouflaged, watching us from its hiding place. This iguana is part of an endangered population, and every detail about its life matters. To gather data, we need to carefully capture and measure individuals, but often the equipment we need to record weight, temperature, location coordinates, and data processing is limited. Here in the dry forest, every piece of data matters and can mean the difference between saving a species or losing it forever.
Despite our dedication, there are obstacles. Often, the intense sun affects our electronic devices, or the resources we have simply aren’t designed to withstand these harsh conditions. We need high-precision binoculars, professional cameras, adequate capture tools, reliable GPS units, quality computers, endoscopic cameras to minimize disturbance to the iguanas, and a “SheroMovil” to enable our “Iguaneros” to restore the natural habitat with young saplings.
We need equipment that can withstand the environment, leaf blowers and saws to maintain firebreak boundaries, technology that helps us collect precise data, and tools that allow us to continue protecting iguanas without risking their welfare or ours—such as VEVOR endoscopic cameras to avoid destroying shelters while spotting the iguanas, non-invasive skin thermometers, and safe-capture poles. This work is hard, but the impact is profound. Every donation means another chance to save a species. With your help, we can equip biologists with the tools necessary to care for and conserve these unique ecosystems and their inhabitants.
Here in the field, every small contribution makes a difference. I invite you to be part of this mission, to walk with us through the dry forest of the Motagua Valley, and to feel the satisfaction of knowing that you are helping to save a key species and its habitat, along with many others. With your donations, we can continue researching, educating, and restoring to ensure that iguanas everywhere have a safe home for the future.
