BNT to Host Public Lecture to Raise Awareness About Threatened Bahamian Rock Iguana
May 14th, 2024 – Nassau, Bahamas
The Bahamas National Trust (BNT) invites the public to a lecture on May 29 at 6pm at The Retreat Garden on Village Road.
Titled “It’s Not an Iguana; It’s a Cyclura,” the presentation will be led by past-BNT President Sandra Buckner and focus on differentiating native Central Bahamian Rock Iguanas from the highly invasive Green Iguana.
The Bahamas’ native Rock Iguana is a keystone species, meaning it has a large effect on its surrounding environment and plays a crucial role in natural ecosystems. Today, it faces increased vulnerability due to habitat loss, human interference, and invasive species like the Green Iguana. Sightings of Green Iguanas throughout The Bahamas are on the rise, creating an alarming scenario that calls for increased public awareness to help curtail the negative consequences on our native species.
As past-President of the BNT and former chair of its Wildlife Committee, Sandra Buckner specializes in the history of reptiles in The Bahamas and their distribution throughout the islands.
The Central Bahamian Rock Iguana now only remains on less than one percent of its former range in the Caribbean, being found on just a few cays in the Central Bahamas. The Bahamas National Trust has partnered with local organisations and international partners Re:Wild and Fauna & Flora to create a five-year Conservation Action Plan to protect this special species. Read more about this plan to preserve the Central Bahamian Rock Iguana on the BNT’s website at: https://bnt.bs/news/uniting-for-iguana-conservation-charting-the-future-of-the-central-bahamian-rock-iguana/.
The BNT invites the public to attend their public lecture on May 29 at The Retreat at 6pm to learn more about this important species and how to distinguish it from the invasive Green Iguana.
For any inquiries, contact the BNT Headquarters at (242) 393-1317.
To learn more about the role the BNT plays in managing terrestrial and marine national parks, conserving wildlife, and informing environmental policy, please visit its website: www.bnt.bs and follow/subscribe to its various social media channels: Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and YouTube.
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Bio: Sandra Buckner, past-President of The Bahamas National Trust
Sandra Buckner is a past-President of The Bahamas National Trust and chaired its Wildlife Committee from 1994 to 2005. She was the co-chair of the IUCN SSC West Indian Iguana Specialist Group, and has remained a member since it expanded to become the IUCN SSC Iguana Specialist Group. Her personal interest is the history of herpetology in The Bahamas (Lucayana) archipelago, and the distribution of endemic species of reptiles throughout the islands.
Mrs. Buckner will be leading a public lecture hosted by the BNT on distinguishing the native Central Bahamian Rock Iguana from the highly invasive Green Iguana on May 29 at 6pm at The Retreat on Village Road.
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Media Contact: Leah Carr | lcarr@bnt.bs | (242) 429-7902
About the BNT:
The Bahamas National Trust (BNT) was created by an Act of Parliament in 1959 to build and manage the national park system of The Bahamas. Possibly the only non-governmental organization in the world charged with such a responsibility, the BNT works daily to conserve and protect the natural resources of The Bahamas through science, stewardship and education for present and future generations. There are currently 33 National Parks managed by the BNT with more than 2 million acres of marine and terrestrial areas protected.