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The rare Jamaican iguana is fighting for survival as the illegal charcoal burning industry in Jamaica destroys its last remaining habitat. The lizard almost went extinct in the 1940s - can it survive this new threat?
A Jamaican iguana in the Hellshire Hills, outside of Kingston, Jamaica in July 2013 (Picture:: Nick Davis)
Access to the most remote parts of the Hellshire Hills region outside of Jamaica's capital Kingston, is still only possible by boat. But, with it's crystal clear coastal waters and old forests, the area is starting to become a target for housing developments. Then, there is a unique industry scarring the landscape as well.
"As the wave of destruction moves inwards, the last remaining habitat for local animals is a big tree right in the middle of the peninsula," says Byron Wilson, a lecturer and conservation ecologist at the University of the West Indies.
http://www.dw.de/jamaican-iguana-fig...ain/a-17097486
A Jamaican iguana in the Hellshire Hills, outside of Kingston, Jamaica in July 2013 (Picture:: Nick Davis)
Access to the most remote parts of the Hellshire Hills region outside of Jamaica's capital Kingston, is still only possible by boat. But, with it's crystal clear coastal waters and old forests, the area is starting to become a target for housing developments. Then, there is a unique industry scarring the landscape as well.
"As the wave of destruction moves inwards, the last remaining habitat for local animals is a big tree right in the middle of the peninsula," says Byron Wilson, a lecturer and conservation ecologist at the University of the West Indies.
http://www.dw.de/jamaican-iguana-fig...ain/a-17097486
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