Conservation Program for the non-poisonous lizard ARAHUAC GECKO (Lepidoblepharis miyatai)

The purpose of this Project is the community protection of the smallest lizard in the world: LIZARD ARAHUAC GECKO (Lepidoblepharis miyatai), an endemic species of Colombia, critically endangered (CR), whose habitat is the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta. The main threats are:

1. Poaching: the residents of the Arahuac indigenous communities kill the lizard for mistakenly believing that it is poisonous.
2. Destruction of habitat: dry tropical forests with thorny bushes (habitat of the target lizard), are destroyed for agriculture and livestock activities.

We propose 4 strategies:

1. Train the Arahuac indigenous community for community protection of the lizard.
2. Create a safety zone to ensure the lizard’s mating, foraging and nesting.
3. Create a regional office for the protection of reptiles on the project site.
4. Inform at least 10,000 people about project activities.

This project has the support of the Arahuac indigenous community, the University of Magdalena and the Van Tienhoven Foundation.