Roatan Spiny Tailed Iguana (Ctenosaura oedirhina)

Mohamed bin Zayed Species project number 0925493

The mission of the International Iguana Foundation (IIF) is to ensure the survival of iguanas and their habitat through conservation, awareness and scientific programs • To work in partnership with conservation organizations in range countries to implement self-sustaining iguana programs; • To generate public awareness of the threats facing iguanas today and the important role that iguanas play in maintaining healthy ecosystems; • To restore critically endangered iguanas and their habitats through science-based conservation actions; • To operate an annual small grants program to support research and field conservation aimed at helping endangered iguanas; • To provides core program support to established iguana programs and to those that are conservation dependent such as the Jamaican iguana; • Mitigate threats to iguana populations and take remedial actions to restore populations; • Support conservation planning and capacity building workshops that directly impact endangered iguana populations. The International Iguana Foundation organized in August 2001 and is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization registered in the state of Texas. The Foundation Board is largely U.S. based and most Board members represent zoos that have made long-standing and substantial commitments to iguana conservation. They include the San Diego Zoo, Shedd Aquarium, Fort Worth Zoo, Gladys Porter Zoo, Audubon Institute, Brevard Zoo, Indianapolis Zoo, Toledo Zoo, and Sedgwick County Zoo. Representing the Conservation NGO sector is the Wildlife Conservation Society and the sole corporate partner is Disney’s Animal Kingdom. This specific project is based on the Honduran island of Roatan, but the overall scope of IIF activities is the New World tropics and Caribbean islands where iguanas primarily occur (with the exception of the Fiji Islands where IIF also supports work on critically endangered iguanas). The IIF is best known for their efforts to help prevent the extinction of three critically endangered (CR) rock iguana (Cyclura) species: the Jamaican iguana (Cyclura collei), the Grand Cayman blue iguana (C. lewisi) and the Anegada iguana (C. pinguis). All three species owe their existence to very active headstart / release or captive breeding programs that have helped to boost and restore wild population numbers. Other focal species ranked CR by the IUCN Red List include the Ricord's iguana (C. ricordii), Bahamian iguanas (C. cychlura and C. rileyi), Turks & Caicos iguanas (C. carinata), Honduran spiny-tailed iguanas (Ctenosaura bakeri and C. melanosterna) and Fiji iguanas (Brachylophus vitiensis).