Ricord’s Iguana (Cyclura ricordii) Local Education and Awareness Conservation Initiative in Anse-a-Pitres, Haiti

Masani Accimé, Program Coordinator in Haiti

Background:

Recognized as the most endangered group of lizards in the world, the West Indian Rock Iguanas of the genus Cyclura are at a critical juncture in their history and their conservation status has received considerable attention in recent years. Five of the nine species are ranked as Critically Endangered by the IUCN Red List and are in immediate need of intensive conservation intervention. As the dominant native herbivores on the islands where they occur, these species play a crucial ecological role in terms of promoting foliage growth through cropping, providing nutrients to developing seedlings, and dispersing seeds into new habitats. The dry scrub cactus forests of the West Indies are among the most imperiled plant communities in the world. Preservation of native iguana populations represents a significant step toward maintaining these natural habitats in a healthy and self-sustained state.

Ricord’s Iguana (Cyclura ricordii) is ranked as critically endangered by the IUCN and has an extremely limited distribution with isolated subpopulations. Known only to exist in the south-central part of the island of Hispaniola, the species is restricted to the arid Valle de Neiba and the most xeric portion of the Peninsula de Barahona coastal lowlands. The total range of occurrence of Ricord’s iguana on Hispaniola is under 100 km2, most of it showing various levels of disturbance. In Haiti, the species was thought to be extinct until 2007, when intensive investigation revealed a few Ricord’s nests along a small strip of beach in Anse-a-Pitres, a town located adjacent to the Haitian-Dominican border. The species lives in sympatry with the Rhinoceros Iguana (Cyclura cornuta), which is still widely distributed throughout Hispaniola, including some of its offshore islands. C. cornuta is considered Vulnerable according to the IUCN Red List. Hispaniola is the only island with two Cyclura species and therefore constitutes a special challenge regarding conservation.

The disjunct distribution of C. ricordii divides the total population into four subpopulations. In the Dominican Republic (DR) three subpopulations are known to exist within the borders of the Jaragua¬Bahoruco-Enriquillo Bioreserve. One subpopulation is on Isla Cabritos – an island lying in the middle of Lake Enriquillo. A second subpopulation is present along the southern shore of Lake Enriquillo and the third subpopulation in DR exists in the coastal lowlands northeast of the town of Pedernales. The recently discovered fourth small subpopulation in southeast Haiti is located west of the town of Anse-a-Pitres and is the most vulnerable at this point. The total adult Ricord’s Iguana population is estimated to be between 2,000 and 4,000 individuals, but this figure is somewhat outdated. In Haiti we are estimating a population of a few hundred animals, however more investigation is warranted in this fragile habitat.

 

In 2002, a Species Recovery Plan (SRP) Workshop for C. ricordii was organized by the IUCN Iguana Specialist Group (ISG) in Santo Domingo. The workshop produced a Ricord’s Iguana SRP, which was published in 2003 and further revised at a meeting of the Ricord’s Iguana Recovery group in 2004. Based on the SRP, a consortium of institutions initiated activities for the conservation of Ricord’s Iguanas in the Dominican Republic. Indianapolis Zoo and ZooDOM focused on the iguanas in the Isla Cabritos National Park, whereas Grupo Jaragua, with IIF support, concentrated their efforts on the other subpopulations.

C. ricordii is considered to be critically endangered by the IUCN. Decline in numbers and decline in area of occupancy have been observed in all the habitats where the subpopulations are found; massive habitat destruction is well documented, particularly that caused by the unchecked charcoal industry in Haiti. Other threats include predation by introduced predators, competition from mammalian herbivores, and exploitation as a food source. At the beginning of this year, one of our very experience field assistants in Pedernales reported sighting a species of iguana, and potential competitor, not indigenous to this island. This will be further investigated. The fragmentation of C. ricordii subpopulations, when compared to the more widely distributed C. cornuta may be one of the detrimental factors threatening the future of Ricord’s Iguanas.

Recent socioeconomic studies conducted in Haiti reveal that exploitation is a major problem in a country where there is no protection for wildlife. Data from surveys conducted in Anse-a-Pitres confirm that a percentage of the population are regular hunters of iguanas, and an even larger percentage of those surveyed consume iguana meat. The scarcity of the species in Haiti is quite alarming; these animals are rarely seen, and their nests are few. It is likely that the population in Haiti will decline much more rapidly than previously thought. An update of the status of C. ricordii is currently in progress by our conservation team on the island and a zoological team at the Indianapolis Zoo.

Project Rationale:

During a C. ricordii Biology Workshop in Haiti in September 2009 the presence of Ricord’s iguanas as well as nesting activity was confirmed in the habitat known as Lasalin in Anse-a-Pitres. Hatched eggs recovered from nests were identified as C. ricordii based on their size and the presence of underdeveloped hatchlings displaying known tail characteristics.

In 2009, Dr. Masani Accimé and a team of local youth conducted over 500 surveys as part of a study on the socioeconomic human impact on C. ricordii and its habitat in Anse-a-Pitres, Haiti. The information obtained through this study revealed that human activity posed a direct threat to the iguanas. Hunting for consumption and nest poaching activities have a direct impact on the species; 17% of those surveyed admitted to being regular hunters, and nearly 30% of those surveyed consume iguana meat. The study also revealed a correlation between areas in Anse-a-Pitres with higher levels of iguana hunting and consumption and lower levels of education and income.

The species and its habitat have been under immense pressure, with people actively cutting trees for charcoal production, grazing animals, and iguana trapping. A construction project that nearly destroyed the only known Ricord’s habitat in Haiti was only halted when a protest by local youth group OJAA and orchestrated by Masani Accimé was staged in the habitat. Realizing the vulnerability of the habitat, a habitat surveillance team was established in November 2009, with OJAA members and several assistants as key participant. Since then, we have been trying to strengthen the capacity of this team. The local authorities have been alerted about presence of the species as a rarity in the community, and we have been discussing the possibility of creating a Municipally Protected Habitat for the species.

The Endangered Iguana Local Education and Awareness Conservation Initiative Project in Anse-a-Pitres will be part of the initial and most critical steps for the conservation of the species in Haiti. The local education project will complement an island-wide conservation program and ongoing tasks set by the IUCN Iguana Specialists Group C. ricordii Species Recovery Plan in 2002, in order to ensure the survival of C. ricordii throughout its natural range on Hispaniola. A species conservation education and awareness program for local stakeholders and the public of Anse-a-Pitres will be initiated and the local conservation team will be prepared to adequately undertake the activities necessary to fulfill the long-term goals of the Species Recovery Plan.

Project Objectives and Activities:

The Ricord’s Iguana Conservation Initiative in Haiti is in its infancy and at a very delicate stage. While much has been done in the past year to identify key stakeholders and recruit their participation in these initial efforts, there is a need for consistent and continued support to truly make an impact. The project is intended to strengthen the implementation of IUCN Iguana Specialists Group Ricord´s Iguana Species Recovery Plan by increasing community-wide awareness, continuing to build local capacity for field research, providing leadership for the budding habitat surveillance team, and assisting the local government of Anse-a-Pitres in taking the action required to legally protect the species by:

• Continuing to build local capacity for effective habitat surveillance and establishing community based management for wild C. ricordii population.
• Investigating other key areas where the species is suspected to exist to more accurately define the areas that will need to be included in the habitat and species protection plan.
• Developing education and awareness programs for the community.
• Ensuring sustained support for the conservation of Ricord’s iguanas in the wild from the local and international communities.

Within the above-stated overall goals, this project seeks to achieve the following objectives:

A) To support local groups and local government in building a successful species conservation program by:

• Assisting the local group OJAA in developing and presenting a proposal to local authorities for the Municipally Protected Status of Ricord’s iguanas and their habitat in Anse-a-Pitres with concurrent land tenure investigations for the habitat.
• Supporting the habitat surveillance program by local herdsmen and environmental groups initiated in 2010 in the form of field training with the assistance of the IIF and Grupo Jaragua, and by providing necessary equipment for species monitoring.
• Training field assistants and local group OJAA in conducting population estimates and studying the nesting biology of the species.
• Helping to facilitate the local NGO-led public awareness campaign for the conservation of C. ricordii by conducting community presentations using visual aids and various communication modalities to discuss iguana conservation in the community.

B) To raise C. ricordii conservation awareness in Anse-a-Pitres, Haiti by:

• Informing local leaders and educators of the current status of C. ricordii in Haiti and the Dominican Republic, its ecological importance, and realistic conservation actions that can be taken.
• Training local youth groups to organize long-term community education as part of the process of conserving this flagship species.
• Distributing educational material in the community.
• Assisting local groups in creating awareness activities in which local inhabitants can participate.

C) To support development of a C. ricordii awareness education program for the local schools system of Anse-a-Pitres by:

• Assembling a Conservation Education Committee, a select group of local school-teachers, to help develop and guide the use of species conservation education material.
• Introducing children’s education materials developed from the teacher manual in Anse-a-Pitres schools during the 2011-2012 scholastic year

We anticipate that the project activities will have long-term benefits in the Anse-a-Pitres community and are vital for the success of the program. If successful, the Municipally Protected Habitat in Anse-a-Pitres would be the first of its kind in Haiti. The Cyclura ricordii Conservation Program in Haiti offers a rare opportunity to make an impact in a country where species and environment conservation have unfortunately suffered much neglect. The program activities will not only educate local advocates of Ricord’s Iguanas and their habitat in Haiti, they will also strengthen the efforts of this dedicated group of people, and empower them to present new ideas and changes in the entire community.

Project Participants:

Grupo Jaragua, Inc. (GJ) is a Dominican non-governmental, non-profit organization founded in 1987. Its mission is to effectively manage the Dominican Republic’s biodiversity resources through scientific research and implementation of plans to solve local conservation problems. It places special attention on regional development of Protected Areas through participatory processes at the community level, in particular in the Jaragua-Bahoruco-Enriquillo Bio-reserve and surrounding communities. Grupo Jaragua collaborates with government and non-government institutions, and local grass-roots organizations and is widely recognized as the leading conservation NGO in the D.R. and pioneered C. ricordii conservation work from southwest D.R. into southeast Haiti. They have a well-established Ricord’s Iguana conservation education program, which has been incorporated into the education system throughout the Dominican Republic.

Òganizasyon Jenès Aktif Ansapit (OJAA) is a local conservation youth organization established in 2008 in Anse-a-Pitres, Haiti with full legal status as an organization in the Municipality of Anse-a-Pitres. This group of active young leaders ranges from 14 to 24 years of age and since 2009, they have played a key role in raising Ricord’s Iguana and ecological conservation awareness in their community. With support from the IIF and the guidance of Dr. Accimé, OJAA conducted over 500 surveys in Anse-a-Pitres, as part of a socioeconomic study evaluating the human impact on Cyclura ridordii. Since then, they have been engaged as part of a habitat surveillance team established in 2010.

The International Iguana Foundation (IIF):
The mission of the IIF is to ensure the survival of iguanas and their habitats through conservation, awareness, and scientific programs that enhance the survival of wild iguanas and their habitats. The IIF works in partnership with a wide variety of organizations to generate public awareness of threats facing iguanas today and the important role that iguanas play in maintaining healthy ecosystems. Through an annual small grants program, the IIF provides critical support to iguana recovery programs that strive to restore these flagship species and their habitats through field conservation.

The International Reptile Conservation Foundation (IRCF):
The International Reptile Conservation Foundation works to conserve reptiles and the natural habitats and ecosystems that support them. The IRCF contributed funding to support portions of the educational and awareness program relating to Project Leader Haiti remuneration, transportation, support equipment, communications, and graphic design for the educational and awareness material.