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Exo Terra Supports the Protection of Threatened Reptiles
and Their Habitats by Becoming a General Sponsor of 

the International Reptile Conservation Foundation
Exo Terra, a global market leader in terrarium products, has
become a strategic sponsor of the International Reptile
Conservation Foundation (IRCF). “Exo Terra is committed to
conservation and, after a long search, we felt that the IRCF was
by far the conservation organization most closely aligned with
our goals,” says Emmanuel Van Heygen, lead product developer
of Exo Terra. “Our products tend toward more realistic and nat-
uralistic terrarium designs, but nothing can replace the amazing
beauty of the natural world. We all need to do our part to help
preserve it.” “Exo Terra’s investment in the IRCF will help the
IRCF by reaching out to a larger community of supporters and
in turn expanding our ability to help species and habitats in
need,” says Michael Kern, IRCF Chief Operating Officer.
“Corporate investment is a strategic component of how the IRCF
operates, and we are happy to see Exo Terra join us in our cause.”

As a General Sponsor, Exo Terra will make a cash donation
to the IRCF that will be used to enhance Iguana, the quarterly
journal distributed to all IRCF members. Specifically, the jour-
nal will incorporate a four-page color spread sponsored by Exo
Terra. “The more color in the journal, the larger the audience
we can reach. Since most of our money is raised through mem-
berships, the more members we can attract, the more money we
can raise, the more ecosystems we can help protect,” says Sandy
Binns, IRCF Chief Financial Officer.

Additionally, Exo Terra and its parent company, Hagen
Inc., will look for opportunities to use its market-leading pres-
ence in the reptile and pet communities to increase awareness of
the IRCF and the conservation needs of reptiles and amphibians
around the world. Says Rolf Hagen, President and CEO of Rolf
C. Hagen, Inc.: “We believe we can help the IRCF get its con-
servation message out to a broader audience. Whether through
web-site linkage, trade show presence, or strategic product label-
ing, we believe this relationship creates great opportunities for
Exo Terra and the IRCF, and, most importantly, supports the
fragile reptile-rich ecosystems of the world.”

“We are happy to have Exo Terra as a sponsoring partner of
the IRCF,” says John Binns, IRCF founder and CEO. “Exo
Terra is truly an innovative company with market-leading prod-
ucts and a unique philosophy of aligning its market activities to
the natural world.”

The June 2008 issue of Iguana will be the first to incorpo-
rate the Exo Terra-sponsored color enhancements.

About the IRCF
The principal aim of the IRCF is to support conservation and
research programs that contribute to the survival of threatened
reptiles and their habitats. IRCF support may include fundrais-
ing, land acquisition, logistical support, communications and
promotion of species awareness, publications, and volunteer
coordination. Programs supported to date include Project
Heloderma (Guatemala), Blue Iguana Recovery Program
(Grand Cayman), Project Palearis (Guatemala), Gharial Multi
Task Force (India), Argentine Sand Dune Lizard, Fijian Crested
Iguana, Chinese Alligator Fund, Jamaican Iguana Recovery, an
IIF-supported program, Anegada Iguana Recovery Program
(British Virgin Islands), Ricord’s Iguana (Dominican Republic),
Conservation Project Utila Iguana (Honduras), Turtle Survival
Alliance, Rhinoceros Iguana (Dominican Republic), and the
Turks and Caicos Iguana Relocation Program. The IRCF is a
501 (c)(3) not-for-profit organization.

About Exo Terra
Exo Terra, a global leader in terrarium products, is a brand divi-
sion of Rolf C. Hagen Inc. Exo Terra’s product line caters to
almost any species of reptile or amphibian from almost any spe-
cialized habitat. Thanks to Exo Terra’s natural approach, the ter-
rarium hobby has evolved tremendously over the past few years.
All Exo Terra products and components have been designed to
work together, helping hobbyists create and establish a harmo-
nized natural-looking microhabitat.

About Rolf C. Hagen Inc.
Rolf C. Hagen Inc. has its international headquarters in
Montreal, Quebec, Canada and has wholly owned subsidiaries
in the United States, England, France, Germany, and Malaysia.
The company has joint ventures in Spain, Japan, Korea,
Thailand, and South Africa, and additional long-standing part-
nership agreements in Mexico, Italy, Australia, Russia, Poland,
Czech Republic, Portugal, and New Zealand. Rolf C. Hagen
Inc.’s distribution capacity spans the globe to provide the very
best in pet supplies.

�
Critical Conservation Foothold Established 

in Guatemala’s Motagua Valley
Surrounded by the Sierra de las Minas, Guatemala’s Motagua
Valley receives the least rainfall in all of Central America. The
lack of moisture is responsible for one of the world’s unique
ecosystems. With its distinctive thornscrub and semi-arid forest
zones, this area is home to many indigenous plants and animals.
Unfortunately, it is also under intense pressure from human
development, and has been identified as critically endangered by
the World Wildlife Federation. Until now, the region has had
no conservation protection and much of the area has already
been converted into farm- or ranchland. In December 2007, a
consortium of Zootropic, Zoo Atlanta, and the International
Reptile Conservation Foundation (IRCF) purchased a tract of
land known to be the home of two of the most critically endan-
gered endemic reptilian species: the Guatemalan Beaded Lizard
(Heloderma horridum charlesbogerti) and the Guatemalan Black

I R C F  O N  T H E  M O V E

IGUANA  •  VOLUME 15, NUMBER 1  •  MARCH 2008 61IRCF ON THE MOVE



62 IGUANA  •  VOLUME 15, NUMBER 1  •  MARCH 2008 IRCF ON THE MOVE

Iguana (Ctenosaura palearis). This land deal is intended to pro-
vide a strategic foothold for the protection of this unique region’s
flora and fauna.

Leading to this point and working under the moniker of
“Project Heloderma,” the three partners, Zootropic, Zoo
Atlanta, and the IRCF initially focused their conservation efforts
on the Guatemalan Beaded Lizard. Conservation synergies were
soon identified with the Guatemalan Black Iguana. The com-
bined emphasis continues today through the efforts to conserve
both species and the habitat in which they live.

Initial conservation activities were directed toward the edu-
cation of the local population, who had regarded the lizards as
either dangerous, a food source, or an opportunity to engage in
illegal trade in exotic animals. Concurrently, fundraising efforts
were initiated, and the species studied in order to establish an
effective conservation and educational program. Early in 2007,
the project team identified a critical piece of property. The
owner, sympathetic to the conservation cause and Project
Heloderma, came to terms and a land deal for 139 acres was
consummated in December of that year.

Although considerable work has already been invested, the
land purchase isn’t an end in itself. For Project Heloderma, it is
simply the end of the beginning — for now, real conservation
work can begin: the establishment of protected areas for the ani-
mals, building of a breeding facility to help reestablish the
diminished populations of these species, and an
education/research center to facilitate both ongoing research into
the species and the education of the local human population
regarding the benefits and importance of these creatures and the

land in which they live. Ideally, protection of these species will
require more land, so fundraising and the search for additional
strategic parcels continues.

In time, Project Heloderma believes that the Motagua
Valley can become an important eco-destination, one that serves
to build additional support for the species and provide economic
benefits to the region, together encouraging a path of conserva-
tion instead of exploitation. Set against the diverse color, cus-
toms, and culture of the region, this ideal is clearly attainable.

In December 2007, Project Heloderma acquired critical habitat for
the conservation of the Guatemalan Beaded Lizard (Heloderma hor-
ridum charlesbogerti) and the Guatemalan Black Iguana (Ctenosaura
palearis). From left: Daniel Ariano, Zootropic, Luis Alvarado,
Zootropic, Brad Lock, Zoo Atlanta, Mr. Paiz, previous landowner,
Rodrigo Botran, Zootropic, and John Binns, IRCF.

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The subtropical dry forests of the Motagua Valley provide habitat for critically endangered Guatemalan Beaded Lizards (Heloderma horridum charles-
bogerti; right) and Guatemalan Black Iguanas (Ctenosaura palearis; not illustrated).

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