Minute leaf chameleon  (Brookesia minima)

Brookesia chameleons are threatened by two significant factors: habitat destruction and harvesting for the international pet trade (4). The natural forests of Madagascar are being degraded by agriculture, timber extraction, and industrial and small-scale mining (5). As a result, the specific habitat of the minute leaf chameleon is rapidly declining and may disappear with continued disturbance (2). Harvesting is also likely to be threatening the survival of minute leaf chameleons, but the extent of the impact is not clear. In 2001, 162 minute leaf chameleons were exported from Madagascar for the pet trade, and harvesting has even been recorded within protected areas (4).

The minute leaf chameleon is listed on Appendix II of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES), meaning that trade in this species should be carefully controlled in order to be compatible with their survival (1). The minute leaf chameleon has also been recorded from at least one protected area, the Manongarivo Reserve (2) , although illegal harvesting or other activities that degrade the forest habitat may lessen any benefits this bestows.