La Gomera Giant Lizard - Status and Conservation

Status and Conservation

Apparent La Gomera giant lizards are listed in reports on La Gomera up to the 19th century, but not thereafter. The species was originally described from subfossil remains in 1985 (Hutterer 1985), presumably having gone extinct by then. Spanish biologists led by Juan Carlos Rando rediscovered this species in 1999 (Nogales et al. 2001). The biologists found only six living individuals (BBC News 2000).

The current population of the La Gomera giant lizard consists of (2004) 90 individuals remaining in the wild, and a captive stock of about 44 animals. This species is now only known from two separate inaccessible cliffs 2 km apart, close to the Valle Gran Rey. The La Gomera giant lizard is thought to have once ranged throughout much of La Gomera and in many habitat types. Nowadays it is found in the Parque Rural de Valle Gran Rey, and the present range is less than one hectare and restricted to dry cliffs with sparse vegetation.

The La Gomera Giant Lizard is listed as Critically Endangered by the IUCN Red List. The species historically declined through overgrazing, hunting, and predation by feral cats and rats. Nowadays the main threats are predation by feral cats, and rock falls within its restricted range. The species is protected by international legislation, and a species recovery plan is in place. On La Gomera, a captive breeding programme has been established in order to increase the number of individuals. To ensure the survival of the remaining populations and facilitate eventual reintroductions, the feral cat population around the species' range needs to be controlled (Miras & Pérez-Mellado 2005).