2017 Ricord’s Conservation Report

Conservation of Ricord´s Iguana (Disney Conservation Fund Project)
 
Report submitted by Rick Hudson (IIF) and Co-PI-s Ernst Rupp and Andrea Thomen (Grupo Jaragua)
 
October 2016 to October 2017

Project. Ricord´s Iguana (Cyclura ricordii) is considered Critically Endangered according to the IUCN Red List. Three subpopulations of the species are found within the Jaragua-Bahoruco-Enriquillo Biosphere Reserve in the Dominican Republic. Since 2003 Grupo Jaragua has been involved in the conservation of the species and has monitored the two most vulnerable populations, one in the Pedernales area and the other one on the southern shore of Lake Enriquillo.

The main goal of the project is to ensure the long-term survival of C. ricordii throughout its natural range by protecting, maintaining, restoring a diversity of high quality native habitats andestablishing community based management for wild C. ricordii populations with the following components:

  1. Restoration planting of 21,000 cladodes of Alpargata (Consolea moniliformis) and 3,000 saplings of Guayacan (Guaiacum officinale) in the Southern Shore of Enriquillo Lake and Pedernales.
  2. Habitat monitoring and vigilance of the total area of presence of the species in Pedernales and the Southern Shore of Lake Enriquillo.
  3. Establishment of alternative income activities in Baitoa, Duvergé, Las Salinas and Vegan-a-ver.
  4. Nest monitoring activities in Pedernales and the Southern Shore of Lake Enriquillo to gather long-term trend data on C. ricordii populations.
  5. Increase local awareness about iguana conservation through a children environmental education program: Iguana Awareness Campaign.

Download the full report here