Green iguana  (Iguana iguana)

Throughout Latin America, the green iguana is hunted for its beautiful, commercially-valuable skin, prized flesh, and eggs (4) (8). It is one of the neotropical reptiles most frequently hunted for food, to feed the family or for sale, and is killed by rifles or captured by dogs. They are also captured live; newly-hatched iguanas may be exported for the pet trade, while captured females may be cut open to extract the eggs and then released (4); these females subsequently die (2). This level of exploitation, in combination with deforestation, has decimated populations in some parts of its range (4).

There are a number of projects currently underway in Latin America which captive breed green iguanas and release them back to the wild, to supplement the reduced wild populations; for example, the Kekoldi Indigenous Reserve in Costa Rica and Monkey Bay Wildlife Sanctuary in Belize (9) (10). The green iguana is also listed on Appendix II of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES), meaning that any international trade should be carefully monitored to ensure it is compatible with the species' survival (1).