Grenada is promoting tourism and it is experiencing a growing interest in eco- tourism. Fish and Wildlife personnel that the desired animals are not CITES listed. Based on personal experience, we are aware of the many layers of paperwork that must accompany any export of herpetofauna, including assurances to Forestry by U.S. More than half of Grenada’s native herpetofauna has a CITES and/or IUCN listing (table 2), and every effort is made to abide by the CITES designations by the Division of Forestry and the Ministry of Agriculture. Over many years and many visits to their offices, we have witnessed increasing concerns for the herpetofauna and a growing emphasis on educating the public regarding the island’s natural history. The Division of Forestry in the Ministry of Agriculture on Grenada is sincere in its efforts to protect wildlife, including amphibians and reptiles. All steps must be taken to prevent the accidental introduction of mongooses onto the Grenadines. The Grenadian herpetofauna has shared the island with Herpestes for over 120 years (Hoagland et al., 1989), and, with the probable exceptions of ground-dwelling snakes, Ameiva ameiva, and Mabuya sp., most members have survived its depredations. Ameiva, Mabuya, and, possibly, Clelia, are the reptiles most vulnerable to this efficient predator. johnstonei, eradication of this species on Grenada is unlikely. The introduction of Herpestes javanicus into the West Indies is correlated with the disappearance of several species of ground-dwelling lizards, snakes, and birds (Powell and Henderson, 2005a). euphronides has undoubtedly withstood many hurricanes, certainly many as powerful and destructive as Ivan. euphronides seems to be doing well (Henderson and Berg, 2005) and, over the past several thousand years, E. We are unsure of the long-term impact of 2004’s Hurricane Ivan. If they have not, and, if habitat alteration is halted at forested elevations over 300 m, E. However, as pre- johnstonei rates are lacking from the forest interior, we do not know if E. johnstonei has invaded the forest, and our encounter rates at this site favor E. They co-occur at Grand Etang (a National Park and a favorite recreational destination for Grenadians and tourists) where E. It is uncertain at this time if it is actually dis- placing the Grenadian endemic E. Eleutherodactylus johnstonei may even- tually be found everywhere on Grenada and it is likely that nothing can be done to halt its invasion of new habitats. ![]() The frog Eleutherodactylus johnstonei has become en- trenched on many West Indian islands outside of its native range, and it now occurs on the Neotropical mainland as well. clelia ) on Grenada (and elsewhere), identifying a positive facet of other introductions is difficult. Although the introduced rodents Mus musculus and Rattus rattus are now an important source of food for treeboas (and, possibly, C. ![]() The impact of alien species on West Indian herpetofaunas has been ongoing since the arrival of Europeans. What is a certainty, however, is that some areas that once supported treeboa populations no longer do so, or that treeboa numbers in other areas have been dramatically reduced. declines as the direct result of habitat loss/alteration or part of a natural cycle of waxing and waning numbers is premature.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |