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Conservation of a New Flagship Species: The Galápagos Pink Land Iguana (Conolophus marthae Gentile and Snell, 2009)

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Problematic Wildlife

Abstract

In 2009, the Galápagos Pink Land Iguana (Conolophus marthae) was reported to science. There are several issues that threaten the existence of this species. These include small population size, extremely limited distribution, possible competition with a syntopic population of C. subcristatus, and introduced predators. In 2012, the species was included in the IUCN Red List, under the category “Critically Endangered.” Actions were planned and undertaken for the conservation of the species. Its unique evolutionary traits, as well as the social impact it has had since its discovery, make C. marthae a potential flagship species.

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Acknowledgments

Data presented here result from a long-term program in collaboration between the Galápagos National Park and the University of Rome “Tor Vergata,” aimed at the conservation of Galápagos land iguanas. We thank the Mohamed bin Zayed Species Conservation Fund for funding. We wish to acknowledge M. Ciambotta, G. Colosimo, M. Cruz, L. Di Giambattista, L. Migliore, M. Onorati, R. Palozzi, and G. Riccarducci for their crucial assistance in the field. We thank the Charles Darwin Foundation, FUJIFILM SonoSite, Inc., and Concepto Azul S.A. for collaborative support. We thank the IUCN ISG for contributing discussions and suggestions during the 2014 IUCN ISG meeting. We wish to thank Sir D. Attenborough and the Colossus Production for being respectful of the pink iguanas’ site, during the making of the documentary movie “GALÁPAGOS.” We thank K. Cole for reading an early version of the manuscript. We also thank the two anonymous reviewers whose constructive criticism improved the quality of this chapter. Many more colleagues, students, and others have contributed and are contributing to this research; we thank them all. Finally, we are indebted to the Galápagos National Park rangers for their incommensurably valuable participation in this project and friendship.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Biology, Tor Vergata University, Via della Ricerca Scientifica, Rome, 00133, Italy

    Gabriele Gentile

  2. Charles Darwin Foundation, Puerto Ayora, Santa Cruz, Galápagos, Ecuador

    Cruz Marquez

  3. Department of Biology, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM, USA

    Howard L. Snell

  4. Galápagos Conservancy, Puerto Ayora, Santa Cruz, Galápagos, Ecuador

    Washington Tapia

  5. Galápagos National Park Directorate, Puerto Ayora, Santa Cruz, Galápagos, Ecuador

    Washington Tapia & Arturo Izurieta

  6. Department of Biology, University of Malaga, Malaga, Spain

    Washington Tapia

Authors
  1. Gabriele Gentile
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  2. Cruz Marquez
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  3. Howard L. Snell
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  4. Washington Tapia
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  5. Arturo Izurieta
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Correspondence to Gabriele Gentile .

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  1. FIZV, Rome, Italy

    Francesco M. Angelici

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Gentile, G., Marquez, C., Snell, H.L., Tapia, W., Izurieta, A. (2016). Conservation of a New Flagship Species: The Galápagos Pink Land Iguana (Conolophus marthae Gentile and Snell, 2009). In: Angelici, F. (eds) Problematic Wildlife. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-22246-2_15

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