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IGUANA  •  VOLUME 11, NUMBER 1  •  MARCH 2004 272003 ISG MEETING REPORT

The seventh annual meeting of the Iguana Specialist Group
was held in November 2003 in Providenciales (“Provo” to

the locals) in the sunny Turks and Caicos Islands. Twenty-two
representatives from the group met with officials from the TCI
National Trust and the Department of Environment and
Coastal Resources (DECR). Michelle Fulford-Gardiner, DECR,
welcomed the group and stressed the importance of iguanas in
the context of both biology and ecotourism. Allison Alberts, San
Diego Zoo Center for Reproduction of Endangered Species
(CRES), and Rick Hudson, Conservation Biologist, Fort Worth
Zoo, served as moderators. Glenn Gerber, San Diego Zoo
CRES, who currently is working with the endemic Turks &
Caicos Iguana (Cyclura carinata carinata), was responsible for
the venue and for organizing the development of a Conservation
and Management Plan for C. c. carinata. Fred Burton, Blue
Iguana Recovery Programme, and Quentin Bloxam, Durrell
Wildlife Conservation Trust, facilitated the conservation plan-
ning workshop held immediately following the ISG annual
meeting.

Taxon Updates
Reports (see “abstracts” on p. 29) on current projects were given
by John Iverson (Earlham College) on Cyclura cychlura inornata
from the Exuma Islands, Fred Burton on Cyclura lewisi on Grand
Cayman Island, Rick Hudson (for Peter Vogel, University of the
West Indies) on Cyclura collei in Jamaica, Miguel Garcia (Puerto
Rico Department of Natural and Environmental Resources) and
Nestor Pérez (University of Puerto Rico–Río Piedras) on Cyclura
cornuta stejnegeri on Isla Mona, Chuck Knapp (University of
Florida and the John G. Shedd Aquarium) on Cyclura cychlura
and Andros Island, Glenn Gerber and Kelly Bradley (Dallas
Zoo) on Cyclura pinguis on Anegada, Lee Pagni (San Diego Zoo)
on attitudes and perceptions regarding the conservation of the
Anegada Iguana, Jan Ramer (Indianapolis Zoo) on Cyclura
ricordii in the Dominican Republic, Victor Hugo Reynoso (The
Technical Consulting Subcommittee for the Conservation,
Management, and Sustained Exploitation of Iguanas in Mexico)
on Mexican iguanas, Peter Harlow (Taronga Zoo) on Fijian
iguanas (Brachylophus fasciatus and B. vitiensis), Glenn Gerber

and Allison Alberts on Cyclura carinata carinata in the Turks &
Caicos Islands, Rick Hudson (for Robert Powell, Avila
University) on Lesser Antillean iguanas, and Quentin Bloxam
and Karen Graham (for Matthew Morton, Durrell Wildlife
Conservation Trust) on St. Lucian Iguana iguana.

Conservation Management Strategies
Reports on ongoing management strategies included: (1) Jeff
Lemm is making headway on a husbandry manual for West
Indian iguanas. The group decided that the manual should be
translated into Spanish upon completion. (2) The Morris
Animal Foundation grant for Cyclura baseline health profiles
was reviewed. Five taxa have been sampled and training pro-
vided for veterinarians in the Dominican Republic, Grand
Cayman, and Jamaica. Extended funding is being sought to
continue testing in perpetuity. (3) Updated IUCN Red List
assessments are continuing. (4) Chuck Knapp and Rachel

A Report on the 

IUCN/SSC 
Iguana Specialist Group 2003 Meeting 

Providenciales, Turks & Caicos Islands

John Bendon

Bath, England

Participants in the 2003 IUCN/SSC Iguana Specialist Group Meeting
in the Turks & Caicos Islands. TOP: Rick Hudson, Sandra Buckner,
Fred Burton, Quentin Bloxam, John Iverson, Catherine Malone, Jan
Ramer, Allison Alberts, Bonnie Raphael, Miguel Garcia, Karen
Graham. MIDDLE: John Bendon, Chuck Knapp, Peter Harlow,
Victor Reynoso, Rick Van Veen, Joe Burgess. BOTTOM: Glenn
Gerber, Lee Pagni.

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28 IGUANA  •  VOLUME 11, NUMBER 1  •  MARCH 2004 BENDON

Goodman are submitting reports on transmitter attachments
to Herpetological Review. (5) For the purpose of assessing
progress on the SSC Strategic Plan, a report of ISG contribu-
tions is being prepared for the IUCN. (6) The International
Iguana Foundation (IIF) is resubmitting its proposal to the
National Fish and Wildlife Foundation (NFWF) for a Navassa
habitat assessment grant. IIF grants for 2003 included support
for work in St. Lucia, Anegada, Jamaica, Grand Cayman, and
the Dominican Republic. (7) The newly developed ISG mis-
sion statement reads: The Iguana Specialist Group prioritizes and
facilitates conservation, science, and awareness programs that help
ensure the survival of wild iguanas and their habitats.

Management Plan Workshop
Quentin Bloxam and Fred Burton facilitated the development
of a Conservation and Management Plan (CMP) for Cyclura
carinata carinata. Ethlyn Gibbs-Williams, head of the TCI
National Trust, introduced discussion and the following goal
was established:

Conserve and restore populations and the geographic distribution of
the Turks and Caicos Rock Iguana, and perpetuate it as a symbol of
national pride and sound environmental management..

Some of the steps necessary to achieve this goal: (1) maximize
genetic diversity, (2) control exotics (dogs, cats, rats, cattle, goats,
donkeys, plants), (3) enact formal legislation to protect iguanas,
(4) establish a system of protected areas, (5) control tourist-
related development and tourist access to critical habitats, (6)
achieve protection for additional habitats, (7) continue to mon-
itor populations and translocations as necessary, (8) acquire bet-
ter genetic data, (9) establish and maintain dialogue with devel-
opers, and (10) develop the necessary political will.

Future Meetings
In 2004, the ISG will meet in Fiji to develop species recovery
plans for Fijian iguanas, Brachylophus fasciatus and B. vitiensis.
Tentative plans for future years include Andros Island in 2005
and the Galápagos Islands in 2006.

A male Cyclura c. carinata habituated to human activity looking for
handouts near the tourist boardwalk on Little Water Cay. Photograph
by Rick Hudson.  

Glenn Gerber and workshop facilitator Fred Burton discuss options
for controlling the movement of cats between Water and Little Water
Cay. Photograph by Rick Hudson.

This boardwalk on Little Water Cay (LWC) provides access for tourists
to experience iguanas in their native habitat and is the primary source
of income for the TCI National Parks Trust.  Unfortunately, cats have
reached this tiny island and are beginning to affect the iguana popula-
tion. Photograph by Rick Hudson.

ISG field trip to Little Water Cay, a popular tourist destination for
viewing iguanas in the Turks & Caicos Islands. Photograph by Rick
Hudson.


