- Gemma Handy
- Saint John, Antigua
image source, Courtesy Roxanne Froget
Union Island rangers are trained to protect the region’s flora and fauna.
A group of rangers on Union Island in the Caribbean wear fatigues, combat boots and self-defense training, ready for battle.
But his attitude is not warlike. Quite the opposite. They are on a mission to protect one of the world’s tiniest species – so rare that It only exists in an area of barely 50 hectares, in a remote corner of one of the smallest islands in the region.
This is the Union Island gecko – part of the nation of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines – a reptile the size of a paper clip that is critically endangered and faces a devious enemy: poachers.
After being officially discovered in 2005, this particular creature became a prized souvenir among collectors captivated by its colorful, gem-marked skin, earning it the dubious prestige of being the most trafficked reptile in the Eastern Caribbean.
image source, FFI/J Bock
The tiny Union Island gecko is threatened by poachers, but rangers patrol its habitat to protect it.
That is, until the Union Islanders got involved. Since 2017, locals trained as rangers have been patrolling the dense virgin forest of this town in St. Vincent and the Grenadines, taking turns 24 hours a day in case of trespassers.
Their work, carried out in coordination with the government’s Forest Department and international conservation institutions -including Fauna and Flora International (FFI), has been responsible for an 80% increase in the population of the species.
A recent survey indicated that gecko numbers skyrocketed from 10,000 in 2018 to about 18,000 today -surpassing the human population of the island by six times.
Community involvement has been key, says Glenroy Gaymes, the government’s head of wildlife protection.
“A lot of people didn’t even know the gecko existed,” says Gaymes. “We went from house to house, we organized street meetings and school programs to raise awareness among the people. We had to go to the forest to capture it and bring it to the consultations so that people would realize what it was. Everyone was amazed – they expected something very larger”.
“It’s only about 1.5 inches tall and it’s so beautiful that people were in awe.”
A refuge of biodiversity
Roxanne Froget became Union Island’s first female ranger in February 2018.
image source, Courtesy Roxanne Froget
Roxanne Froget has been a ranger for over four years.
“When I heard that the gecko was only found on Union Island, it was a revelation. It was wonderful to see it for the first time in all its color,” he recalls.
Geckos slowly change color when exposed to light.turning from dark brown to multicolored.
As a nature lover, Froget was excited to be involved in the project.
“We patrol the forest daily and we are on duty 24 hours a day. We protect everything – the fauna, the flora, even the stones that people used to use for construction, as they are part of the gecko’s habitat. The region has to be kept completely intact. “, Explain.
“I love being out in nature, listening to the sounds of the birds. I look forward to going to work every day,” smiles the mother of two.
image source, FFI/Roseman
Rangers patrol Mount Taboi, the highest point in Union, and the surrounding area.
“My nine-year-old son loves the forest too. I tell him all about the gecko and how I help protect it. I’m so proud to be a part of this work – and it’s all happening on my island, my home.”
In addition to receiving training in active patrol and self-defense techniques courtesy of Glenroy Gaymes, who holds a fourth-degree black belt in taekwondo, the rangers receive instruction in the many and intriguing species that inhabit the tropical forest and about the uses of medicinal plants in order to pass this knowledge on to school children and visitors.
What Union Island lacks in monetary wealth, it makes up for in its rich biodiversity. Since the gecko project began, the team has expanded its work to protect other endemic species, such as the pink rhinoceros iguana, which is also threatened by poachers.
The rarity of both reptiles and their striking colors have been their downfall.
image source, FFI/J Daltry
The pink rhinoceros iguana is also threatened by poaching.
image source, FFI/J Holden
The Union Island gecko changes color when exposed to light.
“Most collectors are naturalists; they want to own geckos because they are different. They want to know how to breed them and be the first to learn about them so they can brag to their peers,” explains FFI’s Caribbean program manager Isabel Vique.
The collectors Vique talks about come from as far away as the United States and Europe, and some they arrive aboard yachts.
image source, FFI/J Bock
The human population of Union Island is less than 3,000.
“But since we’ve been on the ground, there’s been an 80% reduction in the supply of geckos online.”
Previously, poachers took advantage of the friendly nature of the islanders to locate gecko habitat.
“They came to the island posing as tourists and asking the locals where they could see them,” Vique says, adding: “We’ve been raising awareness so now people don’t reveal where to find the gecko, instead they point the way to the island. police station”.
The gecko has been protected by the international conservation agreement CITES since 2019, thanks to the efforts of the government, giving it the highest level of protection. Poachers face a large fine and possible jail time if caught.
The geckos’ habitat is Chatham Bay. As one of the few remaining tropical dry forests, it is a “sort of living laboratory for wildlife in the Caribbean islands,” says FFI project director James Crockett.
“The dry forest of the Caribbean is one of the most threatened habitats on the planet. Very few remain undisturbed like Chatham Bay,” he told the BBC.
image source, FFI/J Daltry
The region is home to pink iguanas like this young specimen.
And that makes the project even more valuable.
“I think the Union Island gecko is the perfect representative mascot for the island to be known to the wider world – it’s small, perfect and beautiful,” adds Crockett.
Roseman Adams, co-founder of the Union Island Environmental Alliance, a local NGO that has been at the forefront of the gecko conservation battle, agrees.
“Some in the government still believe that the region is good for major tourism development. We have been trying to communicate the value of having this dry, healthy, undisturbed forest where we are finding more and more new species for the world,” he says.
“If we lose that opportunity to find and keep them, they will be lost forever2.
For Adamas, the gecko has a special symbology.
“The fact that the gecko has survived for thousands of years means that it is very resilient. When it raises its tail, it shows pride,” he says.
“This species represents us as citizens of the Union – we will be few, but we are proud and resilient.”
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