Barbados leaf-toed gecko project

Barbados is one of the world’s most densely populated islands and its natural habitats continue to dwindle. It has lost most of its endemic species due to habitat loss and the introduction of invasive alien species such as mongooses and monkeys. The Barbados leaf-toed gecko was among those believed extinct until a tiny population was rediscovered in 2011.

The University of the West Indies (UWI), which has a campus on Barbados, and the Ministry of Environment and National Beautification (MENB), responsible for the preservation of the biodiversity in Barbados, requested Fauna & Flora’s help to assess the species’ status and needs, and to advise on its conservation. No more than 250 adult Barbados leaf-toed geckos have been confirmed in the wild, most of them clinging onto a narrow strip of the island’s rocky east coast.

Even here, pressures are rising from development and invasive species, such as the highly adaptable and faster-breeding African house gecko. The solutions are complex, but as one of the country’s few remaining endemic species, there is great scope for the ‘BLT gecko’ to become a much-needed flagship for conserving and restoring Barbados’s terrestrial ecosystems.

Objectives

Now that we know more about this species, it is imperative to prevent its extinction. With this in mind, the team is working to establish a gecko sanctuary. Once built, it will become a safe haven for the BLT gecko, away from alien predators, competitors and poachers. The sanctuary should be able to support a healthy thriving population of the species. At the same time, we are raising wider awareness of the BLT gecko and its plight among the people of Barbados.