Land Iguanas' Breeding Program closed succesfully

Press Release
Puerto Ayora, Galapagos – April 30, 2008

Puerto Ayora April 30th, 2008With the Minister of the Environment Marcela Aguiñaga and local authorities present, the Charles Darwin Foundation together with the Galapagos National Park, freed 74 land iguanas (conolophus subcristatus), an endemic secies of the island.
With the introduction of these iguanas to their native habitat comes the closing of the program “Reproduction and Breeding of Baltra Land Iguanas” that our organization and the Galapagos National Park have maintained since 1980. The program objective was to repopulate Baltra Island with endemic iguanas which had, for different reasons, dissapeared during the use of the island as an American military base in the second world war.
The Charles Darwin Foundation, the Galapagos National Park and the Ecuadorian Airforce signed a cooperative agreement in order to reduce unnecessary mortality of the species. The program included the launch of an educational campaign to raise the consciousness of military personnel and civilians that work on the island, specifically the transport and military vehicle drivers.
Today there are 420 iguanas that have been repatriated and that currently live and reproduce in their natural state on the island of Baltra. During the event a plaque of recognition was presented for the work of Cruz Márquez, herpetologist of the Charles Darwin Foundation vertebrate program, for his support of and dedication to the program.