Minor’s chameleon  (Furcifer minor)

Prior to 1993, trade in this species was considered minimal and insignificant but, in 1994, the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) reported 1,257 Minor’s chameleons exported from Madagascar, to be sold to the western pet market, a massive increase on just five animals the previous year. The Minor’s chameleon is currently listed in Appendix II of CITES, limiting trade in this species (3). Generally, the greatest threat to Madagascar’s chameleons is considered to be habitat loss as primary vegetation is cleared for conversion to subsistence agriculture (1), but Minor’s chameleon fortunately appears to tolerate disturbed environments better than most other species (4). However, due to a lack of basic information in its ecology we do not know whether plantations provide suitable breeding habitats. This lack of knowledge and its relatively restricted range in terms of habitat and elevation and use of native forest make it a species worthy of conservation concern (1).

As with most other Madagascan Furcifer chameleon species, Minor’s chameleon was banned from export in 1994 (7). It is not currently known from within any of Madagascar’s protected areas (2).