The conservation programs work: the Blue Dragona famous iguana of the Cayman islands, she returned to live after being on the verge of extinction. Scientists have released 1200 specimens in nature, currently in protected areas, and hope that – human being permitting – the species now be saved.
The serious risk of extinction and the start of conservation programs
At the beginning of the 2000s, they remained in nature less than 30 blue iguanas, and their survival, therefore, was far from guaranteed. For this, at the time, theInternational Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) classified the species as’Critically endegered‘, or at high risk of extinction.
But the scientists did not give up, and they started a controlled reproduction program, breeding the little ones in a safe and controlled environment before reintroduced them in nature: the eggs were collected by wild nests and incubated to hatching in the summer, then the small bred for 2-3 years before being released.
Thanks to the first phase of the program, in 2012, the IUCN modified the status of the species from ‘Critically endegered ‘ A ‘endiered’, as it is currently.
As experts explain, blue iguanas can live up to 60 years, and females lay from 3 to 18 eggs per season, which hatch after about 72 days (July-September). The species is herbivora, and can feed on over 100 native plants where the species lives.
Success (and what is still to be done)
To date, over 1,200 blue iguanas have been issued in nature – reads the National Trust for the Cayman Islands press release, non -governmental non -profit organization created to preserve the history and biodiversity of the Cayman Islands – our protected areas designated for the blue iguana include the Queen Elizabeth II botanical park (headquarters of the Blue Iguana Conservation Breeding Facility), La Salina Reserve and Colliers Nature Reserve. Many specimens that you will meet in the botanical park were raised by our team
The blue iguanas released in protected areas are now living in nature, but survival is not easy.
We continue to protect blue iguanas through:
By protecting the blue iguanas, we also protect the ecosystems that represent their habitat. These reptiles are symbolic species, which means that their conservation brings benefits to many other endemic species that share their habitat. These protected areas host a wide variety of autochthonous wildlife
Today we are happy to give beautiful news for biodiversity, but the way to go is still long.
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