Project Abronia

The Arboreal alligator lizards of Central America known from the genus Abronia are one of the most beautiful and fascinating groups of lizards found anywhere in the World.  They are uncommon to extremely rare in their native habitats which face increasing pressures from activities ranging from deforestation to agricultural development.  With this website we hope to educate, collaborate and instill a sense of urgency around the needs for conservation as well as captive breeding for this unique group of lizards.

I work with a couple of close friends in Mexico who are herpetologists and share my same interest in making an effort to protect pristine cloud forest habitat for these unique animals, in addition to learning about their needs through captive husbandry and breeding projects.  We have embarked on a crusade over the past 3 years to both work with and protect various species of Abronia in their native land of Mexico in Veracruz and Guerrero.  This effort is being carried out in cooperation with authorities from SEMARNAT and PROFEPA, two governing bodies in Mexico which have responsibility to issue permits and manage activities involving wildlife.  Our breeding projects include 3 species of Abronia today, and we hope to add more groups in the future.  We have also been able to purchase a few acres of habitat in Veracruz which will be preserved in its natural state as a protected haven for the wildlife that is in situ.  There is so much more work to be done here with recovering land and keeping it in a pristine condition, particularly where large, old-growth Oak trees are found in the Mexican highlands as these are the most valuable asset to the continued health of these dwindling niche eco-systems we call "cloud forests".  The cloud forests are the primary habitat of most Abronia species...and are therefore a major emphasis for our preservation efforts. 

The other important aspect of conservation that we are actively pushing is to educate local and indigenous peoples to the circumstances of these niche eco-systems, and their inhabitants.  In particular, Abronia are often targeted and killed upon sight because many local people are under the false impression that the animals are venomous.  This is unfortunate because they can sometimes have a very detrimental affect upon a natural thriving population of adult breeding animals, particularly when the eradication activity is concentrated in a small, niche geography.  We have encountered instances of this as an example just in the past year where a peasant farmer estimated he had killed about 30 adult Abronia graminea on his 100 acres of land, over a 12 month period.  It's tough to blame him as he was acting as he thought, in self defense to keep himself and his workers/family safe from the reptiles.  We have since educated this person on the lizard's harmless nature and actually turned him around to now having an interest to protect the lizards on his land and we are working to have him also set up a natural reserve for his Abronia on that land in cooperation with the Government.  This is the kind of grass-roots effort that is needed to have an immediate and lasting impact on preserving Abronia for future generations.

We see conservation as a 3 legged stool...the 3 legs being protection of the natural habitat, captive breeding, and education.  With these 3 major areas being emphasized we feel that these unique lizards and their amazing niche eco-systems in the cloud forests, will be preserved for future generations to enjoy.  There are other species of lizards as well that face similar circumstances to those of the Abronia, and one group is the rare Ctenosaura alfredschmidti, found in Campeche, Mexico.  We have started similar projects for these animals and already purchased a 10 acre lot of pristine old growth forest where these lizards have been observed, in 2007.  With sustained effort and the right kind of community support and ongoing exposure, many of these rare and threatened lizards will have a positive future.  As time rolls on and opportunity permits, I will continue to take an active roll in these and other conservation projects, and I look forward to doing so with ongoing support from various Institutions, Governments, and perhaps most importantly, the support of passionate individuals who simply care enough to contribute in the ways that they can, to have an impact. 

Jason Wagner