IUCN SSC Iguana Specialist Group Meeting 2014 28-29 October: Galápagos Land and Marine Iguanas Workshop ABSTRACTS ORAL COMMUNICATIONS The Galápagos Land Iguana Conservation Program: History, Success and Challenges A. Izurieta Galápagos National Park, Puerto Ayora, Isla Santa Cruz, Galapagos, Ecuador Not received The North Seymour and Baltra island Land Iguanas: Extinction, Good Luck, and Hard Work Challenges A. Izurieta Galápagos National Park, Puerto Ayora, Isla Santa Cruz, Galapagos, Ecuador Not received Early Restoration Ecology Efforts for Galapagos Land Iguanas (Conolophus subcristatus) Snell, Howard L.*1, Heidi M. Snell2, Cruz Marquez3, Cirilo Barrera3, Fausto Llerena3, Alison Llerena3 1Biology Department, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, New Mexico, USA 2Tome Gallery, Tome, New Mexico, USA 3Puerto Ayora, Isla Santa Cruz, Galapagos, Ecuador While accounts of potentially declining populations of Galapagos Land iguanas go back several centuries, recent restoration efforts stem from observations reported by Craig McFarland and Dagmar Werner of large-scale mortality events on Islas Santa Cruz and Isabela in the mid 1970’s. Disease was suspected before predation by feral dogs was confirmed as the cause of mortality. Initial efforts attempted protection of adult iguanas from further predation by patrols and then translocations. Captive breeding and rearing of iguanas was initially elusive but eventually successful while research on the ecology of feral dogs led to successful eradication efforts by the early 1980s when the first repatriations of iguanas occurred at Cerro Dragon, Isla Santa Cruz and Bahia Cartago, Isla Isabela. Much documentation of the early history regarding the decline and recuperation of those populations has been lost in fires and discarded records. Personal Observations on Galapagos Land Iguanas (Conolophus subcristatus) over the Past 40 years Tui De Roy 16 Burnside Road Takaka, New Zealand During my years living in the Galapagos Islands, I have had the opportunity to visit many remote parts of Isabela and Fernandina Islands that possibly no other observer has accessed. I therefore share photos and personal notes made during many of those expeditions, including: 1) iguana presence in small kipukas on the east flank of Darwin Volcano, 2) a nesting zone on the east coast of Darwin Volcano, 3) colour variations between and within semi-isolated populations on Isabela Island, 4) detailed observations of the nesting migrations inside the Fernandina Caldera, 6) consequences and reactions to cataclysmic volcanic events on Fernandina Island. Restauración Ecológica de la isla Seymour Norte: El caso de la erradicación de la rata negra (Rattus rattus) Sevilla-Paredes, Christian*, Dirección Parque Nacional Galápagos, [email protected] Rueda Cordova, Danny*, Dirección Parque Nacional Galápagos, [email protected] Seymour Norte es una plataforma elevada de 184 hectáreas de superficie que se caracteriza por tener su costa primariamente rocosa y tener dos playas. La vegetación es xerofítica y carece de cuerpos de agua permanentes. Seymour Norte esta pertenece enteramente dentro de áreas del PNG y tiene un sitio de visita. Aquí anidan especies notables de aves marinas (fragatas y piqueros de patas azules); así como iguanas terrestres y marinas y dos especies de culebra. Sin embargo, desde 1986 se registró la presencia de la rata negra (Rattus rattus) en la isla, sin conocer a profundidad el impacto que estaba produciendo sobre la biota propia de la isla. Debido a que los roedores introducidos, básicamente R. rattus, Rattus norvegicus y Mus musculus, tienen severos impactos sobre la integridad ecológica de los ecosistemas que han invadido, en el 2007, se desarrolló un plan estratégico para erradicar roedores introducidos en las islas medianas y pequeñas, siendo considerada Seymour Norte como el sitio piloto para validar la metodología y entrenar al personal. En ese contexto se han logrado básicamente tres objetivos: (1) Desarrollo de la metodología para la evaluación de las poblaciones presentes en la isla y de los de riesgos de la campaña de erradicación de rata negra mediante el uso del anticoagulante específico para roedores Klerat®. (2) Erradicación de las ratas mediante la aplicación del veneno en la isla en dos campañas de envenenamiento, y (3) Evaluación de la efectividad del veneno utilizado, el nivel de afección a otras especies y nivel de éxito de la campaña. Safeguarding the South Plaza Galapagos Land Iguana during Rodent Eradication using Brodifacoum Tapia, Washington, joseph Flanagan, Karl Campbell, and Patricia jaramillo Galapagos National Park Directorate, Houston Zoo, Inc., Island Conservation, Charles Darwin Foundation The house mouse (Mus musculus), introduced to the Galapagos Islands through human activities, has been found on South Plaza Island (12 ha) since the early 1980s. A decline in the arborescent prickly pear (Opuntia echios echios) has occurred since mice invaded. This cactus is a major food item and source of water for the South Plaza land iguana (Conolophus subcritatus) population. Mice undermine the root system of the cactus, resulting ultimately in cactus death. Brodifacoum is an anticoagulant rodenticide used in rodent eradications. Preliminary work with green iguanas indicated a low risk of toxicity in this species, and presumably in other iguana species. A plan to safeguard the population of iguanas on South Plaza during a rodent eradication campaign was developed. Forty iguanas (approximately 10% of population) were held temporarily in captivity ex-situ during bait application and until no remnants of bait were present (~60 days). In November 2012, animals were captured, weighed, measured, had blood collected from the ventral tail vein, and treated systemically with ivermectin at 0.2 mg/kg and sprayed with “Provent-a-mite” (permethrin II) to prevent the potential transfer of endo and ectoparasites to the holding pens on Santa Cruz Island. Actions were taken to minimize risks of seed dispersal via iguanas between islands, for that reason their feces were collected and the seeds separated and identified. Animals were housed in outdoor pens originally designed for the land iguana breeding program. Iguanas left on S. Plaza were provisioned at pre-established sites using prickly pear pads from Santa Cruz Island. The mitigation plan’s success metrics were met, with in-situ survival of 97.75%, ex-situ survival of 100%, and no population level decline observed one-year post baiting. There was no evidence of internal or external parasites when captive-held iguanas were returned. Conservation of a Vital Marine Iguana Site on Isla Isabela, Galápagos Tosney, Kathryn The University of Miami, Florida, USA, and The Isabela Outreach Initiative (IOI), Isla Isabela, Galápagos, Ecuador Marine iguanas (Amblyrhynchus cristatus), endemic to the Galápagos, are IUCN-listed as vulnerable because of el Niños, human activities and introduced predators. Dogs have been documented to prey on adults, and Islands with cats show “a conspicuous absence of juveniles” thought likely to presage local extinction. Despite Puerto Villamil’s many free-ranging dogs and cats, my five-year study has documented a site, “El Mirador,” that successfully sustains young iguanas. For example, in july 2014, while all 40 babies that hatched at a nearby National Park site failed to survive the month, at El Mirador, ~250 hatched, and although many emigrated, ~180 babies and ~150 two-to-four year-olds remained. El Mirador has special characteristics that support young. Its gentle slope affords safe intertidal foraging for young iguanas which are too small to survive a dive into the sea. Its rock crevices offer shelter, and a water-filled crevasse minimizes predation. Large gravid females migrate kilometers to contend for nesting sites in the adjacent grass-stabilized, sandy area which, unfortunately, is part of a public beach. Because these iguana eggs are laid shallowly, human foot traffic can kill embryos. Over the last four years, however, thanks to a coalition between IOI, the Municipio and the National Park local office, the nesting area has been protected by temporary fences. The Park now uses a video about El Mirador in its summer school. Nevertheless, conservation of this iguana group remains precarious. There is pressure to return the beach fully to human use and to remove nearby mangroves in which many adult females reside. Despite such ongoing human threats, my study documents the characteristics of El Mirador that successfully support young iguanas; those characteristics can help to identify additional sites of conservation importance. Traffic of iguanas Enrique Angermeyer Galápagos National Park, Puerto Ayora, Isla Santa Cruz, Galapagos, Ecuador July 8, 2012 at the airport in Baltra was discovered during baggage checking a suitcase that passes through the X-ray was found inside luggage four iguanas. To then make the observation of the suitcase contents, they proceeded to call the owner of the suitcase and that belonged to Dirk Bender, and then continue with the procedure and to open the suitcase, after opening they found four juveniles iguanas, species Conoluphus subcristatus, this species is in the vulnerable category in the list of IUCN (International Union for Conservation of Nature). Here I illustrate the follow up of such a case, for the purposes of contrasting new cases of illegal traffic. Illegal wildlife trade in Galápagos: molecular tools help the taxonomic identification of confiscated iguanas