Conservation of the Anegada Iguana (Cyclura pinguis)

Abstract

The long-term survival of the Anegada Iguana (Cyclura pinguis) is uncertain. The species is in danger of becoming extinct due to habitat destruction, competition with feral livestock, and the introduction of non-native mammalian predators. In an effort to save the Anegada Iguana, the IUCN Iguana Specialist Group and the British Virgin Islands National Parks Trust began a concerted conservation effort in 1997. They initiated a headstart program in order to bolster the wild population until many of the problems facing the iguanas can be minimized or removed. Headstarted iguanas were released back into the wild in October of 2003 and 2004. This paper briefly reviews the natural history of C. pinguis and presents some preliminary results from the ongoing long-term monitoring of the subadult iguanas reintroduced to the wild.