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IGUANA  •  VOLUME 12, NUMBER 4  •  DECEMBER 2005 281ISG MEETING

The IUCN Iguana Specialist Group conducted their annual
working meeting, 6–7 November 2005 in South Andros,

Bahamas. Generously hosted and substantially underwritten by
Mike and Petagay Hartley of Tiamo Resorts, ISG participants
enjoyed what is aptly described as “barefoot sophistication” at the
eco-friendly Tiamo Lodge. Planning and travel arrangements fell on
the shoulders of Chuck Knapp, who did an admirable job of facil-
itating the arrival of so many people to this remote destination.

For 11⁄2 days, the ISG heard various species update reports and
then discussed a number of pressing issues relevant to the group’s
activities. One of the more productive discussions focused on
drafting a prioritized list of ISG projects for 2006, an exercise that
has implications for short-term funding opportunities. Finally, a
Jamaican Iguana sub-group convened and began planning a
Species Recovery Plan workshop, tentatively scheduled for July
2006. This will be the first time since the Jamaican Iguana PHVA
workshop in 1993 that this conservation strategy has been offi-
cially revisited. This information will be detailed in the meeting
minutes in the upcoming ISG newsletter.

The 2005 ISG meeting represented a significant milestone:
It has now been ten years since this group began meeting together
to discuss, plan, and strategize iguana conservation activities in
the Caribbean region. Hosted by the Miami Metrozoo, we first
met in 1996, although we were not formally recognized as an
official Specialist Group — initially the West Indian Iguana
Specialist Group — by the IUCN Species Survival Commission
until the following year in Seattle. We will recognize our official
10-year anniversary next year and plans are already being dis-
cussed for a cumulative photo expose on the ISG’s work.

Following the ISG meeting, a Species Recovery Plan (SRP)
workshop for the Andros Iguana, Cyclura c. cychlura, was con-
vened. An important component of all SRPs is having local par-
ticipants that help draft and then endorse the final product.

Thanks to support from the Shedd Aquarium in Chicago, key
local players and stakeholders were involved in the production of
this Plan. Four primary working groups split off to work on the
following topics: Protected Areas, Education and Public
Awareness, Fund-raising, and Research Priorities. These docu-
ments will be incorporated into an overall conservation strategy
(SRP). One of the most exciting outcomes was the emergence of
a bright, articulate, and highly motivated local high school
teacher and coach, Ricardo Johnson, who plans to use the iguana
as the mascot for the school’s soccer team. Mascots are not com-
monly used in the Bahamas and we have high hopes that this

I U C N  I G U A N A  S P E C I A L I S T  G R O U P  M E E T I N G

South Andros, The Bahamas
6–7 November 2005

Participants in the IUCN ISG Meeting, South Andros, The Bahamas, 6–7 November 2005 (from left): Rick Hudson, Peter Tolson, Kristin Hines,
Steve Conners, Tom Wiewandt, Stesha Pasachnik, Joe Burgess, Quentin Bloxam, Ricardo Johnson, Jeff Lemm, Byron Wilson, Karen Graham,
John Iverson, Allison Alberts, Catherine Stephen, Miguel Garcia, Bruce Weissgold, Jan Ramer, Fred Burton, Tandora Grant, Samantha Addinall,
Tarren Wagner, Joe Wasilewski, Sandra Buckner, and Chuck Knapp; not pictured, Janet Conners, who took the photograph.

The lodge at the eco-friendly Tiamo Resort in South Andros was the
venue for a Species Recovery Plan workshop for the endangered
Andros Iguana (Cyclura cychlura cychlura). This one-day meeting
enjoyed strong participation by the local community, and separate
working groups “broke out” to discuss education/local awareness, pro-
tected areas, research priorties, and fund-raising. This workshop rep-
resented a major first step toward producing a conservation strategy for
the iguana, with the species emerging as a potential icon for biodiver-
sity conservation on South Andros.

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282 IGUANA  •  VOLUME 12, NUMBER 4  •  DECEMBER 2005 ISG MEETING

action will serve to elevate the iguana from relative obscurity to
iconic status in the eyes of the local community. Popularizing the
Andros Iguana and improving local awareness should have a pos-
itive impact on efforts to protect them and their habitat. South
Andros is a large island, with vast expanses of undisturbed wilder-
ness that support considerable biodiversity. With the potential to
become a showcase for biodiversity preservation in the region,
one of the goals of the workshop was to include an iguana man-
agement zone within a much broader protected area on South
Andros. Hopes remain high that this will become a reality and
that this workshop will serve to catalyze this much-needed action.

Following the ISG workshops, the Board of Directors of
the International Iguana Foundation met on 9–10 November.
This is the first time the two groups have met together, a trend
that will likely continue. The primary order of business was
reviewing 2005 funding proposals and awarding grants. The
Board reviewed five proposals requesting a total of $53,473. Due
to funding constraints, the Board was able to award $31,864 to
the following five projects or programs: (1) Restoration of a
Second Subpopulation of Wild Grand Cayman Blue Iguanas, Phase
2, $5,864. Fred Burton, Principal Investigator (PI); (2) Jamaican
Iguana Recovery Program, $9,000. Byron Wilson, PI; (3)
Conservation of the Anegada Iguana: Public Education, Headstart
Optimization, and Nest Protection, $8,000. K. Bradley and G.
Gerber, PIs; (4) Conservation of the Critically Endangered Fijian
Crested Iguana, $3,000. J.S. Keogh, P. Harlow, and S. Morrison,
PIs; and (5) Development of a Cost-efficient and Effective
Monitoring Program for the Mona Iguana Population, $6,000. N.
Perez-Buitrago, S.M. Funk, W.O. McMillan, and M. Garcia,
PIs. Subsequent to the IIF Board meeting, a $3,000 emergency
request was awarded to Ernst Rupp (Grupo Jaragua) for a
Ricord's Iguana survey on the southern shore of Lago Enriquillo,
Dominican Republic.

Rick Hudson
ISG Co-chair

IIF Executive Director
Some of the participants took advantage of a break in the action to go
snorkeling.

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The IIF Board met in conjunction with the ISG in South Andros; front row (from left): Mike Hartman (Tiamo Resort Manager), Quentin Bloxam
(Durrell Wildlife Conservation Trust), Mike Fouraker (Ft. Worth Zoo), Karen Graham (Sedwick County Zoo); middle: Rick Hudson (Ft. Worth
Zoo); back row (from left): Allison Alberts (Zoological Society of San Diego), Jackie Ogden (Disney’s Animal Kingdom), Colette Adams (Gladys
Porter Zoo), Peter Tolson (Toledo Zoo), Jan Ramer (Indianapolis Zoo), and Chuck Knapp (Shedd Aquarium).

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