Caribbean News
DECR Reports: Invasive Green Iguana Captured, Euthanized in Turks & Caicos
#TurksandCaicos, January 15, 2023 – Dr Reginald Thomas from Department of Agriculture and Simon Busuttil, Biosecurity Advisor for the Iguana Partnership responded to a report of an invasive Green Iguana in Grace Bay on Wednesday. The animal was caught and humanely euthanized by Dr Thomas.
Green Iguanas are an invasive species that do not belong in Turks and Caicos. They come from Brazil and Central America but have long been popular pets particularly in Florida. Many have escaped or been released and they are now a significant nuisance there. From Miami they have spread to many islands in the Caribbean where they have caused millions of dollars’ worth of damage.
The Iguana Partnership which is funded by the UK Government through its Darwin program is working with the Department of Agriculture and Department of Environment and Coastal resources (DECR) to not only safeguard TCI’s endemic Rock Iguana but to prevent the Green Iguana arriving and becoming established across the islands.
“These animals can grow up to two meters long and become a significant pest. Unlike our endemic rock iguanas, they hang around urban areas, hotels and resorts. They defecate in swimming pools and on jetties, they get run over and then smell, they dig into banks and under roads and even runways and they hang around restaurants being aggressive and carrying the risk of disease. They destroy agricultural crops. 
If they get established here, then TCI’s agricultural sector will find it even more difficult. They destroy the landscape plants and flowers around resorts. They are great climbers and as adults can be up to 2m long. This means they regularly cause power outages. This cost eventually gets passed onto the consumer of course. It is vital we stop these animals becoming established”, said Simon Busuttil, the Partnership’s Biosecurity Advisor.
It is vital we all work together to stop Green Iguanas becoming established in TCI. Everyone can play a part by learning what they look like and immediately reporting any sightings. Should you think you have encountered a Green Iguana, send a photograph of the animal and / or the location where it was seen. You can WhatsApp a location (such as a Google pin) and the photographs to the Green Iguana hotline on +1(649) 344 8296.
Photo Captions:
Header: Green Iguana by Joe Wasilewski
Insert: Green Iguana – Green Iguana ‘Be Gonna Partnership’, Cayman Islands
KINGSTON, April 29 (JIS):
Minister without Portfolio in the Ministry of Economic Growth and Job Creation, Senator the Hon. Matthew Samuda, says the outcome of discussions arising from the Jamaica National Stakeholder Consultation on Climate Services and the 1st National Climate Forum (NCF-1) will assist in guiding the Government’s planning for climate change.
This, he points out, is important for climate mitigation as well as building Jamaica’s resilience.
“We look forward to the discussions that will, no doubt, take place. We look forward to the basis of planning for the Government to streamline its investments to ensure you have the tools that you need to better advise us, that the WRA (Water Resources Authority) has the tools to digitise its monitoring network, and that all of the agencies that touch our planning mechanisms have the tools. But we need to know what we are facing, and we’re guided by your expertise,” Minister Samuda said.
He was addressing the opening ceremony for the Jamaica National Stakeholder Consultation on Climate Services and the 1st National Climate Forum (NCF-1) at the Courtyard by Marriott Hotel in New Kingston on Monday (April 29).
Senator Samuda said given the fact that the climate has changed and continues to do so, investments in and collaborations on building Jamaica’s predictive and scientific capacity must be prioritised.
“Ultimately, we need to be able to assess our current climatic realities if we are to better plan, if we’re to insist and ensure that our infrastructure meets the needs that we need it to. I’m very happy that this event is happening… because this is a critical issue.
“Jamaica, last year, faced its worst and most severe drought… and this year, we’re already seeing the impacts of not quite as severe a drought but, certainly, a drought with severe impacts, especially in the western part of the country,” he said.
Principal Director, Meteorological Service of Jamaica, Evan Thompson, explained that the forum aims to, among other things, establish a collaboration platform for climate services providers and users to understand risks and opportunities of past, present and future climate developments, as well as improve inter-agency coordination of policies, plans and programmes.
Among the other presenters were Ambassador, European Union to Jamaica, Her Excellency Marianne Van Steen; Chief Scientist/Climatologist, Caribbean Institute for Meteorology and Hydrology, Adrian Trotman; and Head, Regional Climate Prediction Services, World Meteorological Organization, Wilfran Moufouma-Okia.
The Meteorological Service of Jamaica hosted the Jamaica National Stakeholder Consultation on Climate Services and the 1st National Climate Forum (NCF-1) in partnership with the Caribbean Institute for Meteorology and Hydrology and the World Meteorological Organization.
The National Stakeholder Consultation is a governance mechanism that guides how different sectors or actors work together to create products that contribute to adaptation and resilience-building. It seeks to create a road map for the development and implementation of climate services to inform decision-making.
NCF-1 aims to bridge the gap between climate providers and users. It increases the use of science-based information in decision-making and operations with the aim of generating and delivering co-produced and co-designed products and services.
CONTACT: CHRIS PATTERSON
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