Restoring a Cloud Forest to Bring Back Campbell's Alligator Lizard

Project Details:

High in the cloud forests of eastern Guatemala lives one of the world’s most elusive reptiles: Campbell’s alligator lizard (Abronia campbelli). These armored ambush predators live high in the canopy, more than a mile above sea level. Now, the Foundation for the Endangered Species of Guatemala (FUNDESGUA) is launching a habitat restoration effort to bring this species back from the brink of extinction with the help of the Colossal Species Reintroduction Fund.

In Partnership With

FUNDESGUA is a Guatemalan conservation foundation that works to prevent the extinction of endemic wildlife through science-based restoration, species management, and community partnerships. Guatemalan conservationist Mónica Torres, who co-authored the species' 2009 rediscovery and won a Future For Nature Award in 2021, is guiding the effort.

Why Campbell’s Alligator Lizard Matters

This armored lizard’s habitat is disappearing. Only about 3% of its native cloud forest remains intact. When this species was first scientifically recorded in 1993, conservationists feared the worst. With so little habitat remaining and so few reported sightings, it was presumed extinct. That is, until Mónica Torres and Daniel Ariano-Sánchez rediscovered it in 2009.

Cloud forests aren’t just beautiful, they produce their own precipitation. The cloud forest of La Tigra National Park in the mountains above Honduras’ capital Tegucigalpa provides 40% of the city’s water.

The rescue of the Campbell’s alligator lizard also means protecting a crucial, critically threatened Guatemalan ecosystem.

FUNDESGUA has already built a strong foundation for recovery. According to FUNDESGUA, the team has planted more than 188,000 native trees and restored 466 hectares of cloud forest. That work has to come first because Campbell’s alligator lizard is arboreal. It can’t cross open ground to find new forests. Rebuilding a connected canopy is the first major step toward protecting the species.

How the Species Reintroduction Fund is Helping

With the Colossal Foundation’s support, FUNDESGUA will advance the restoration phase of recovery:

The First Reserve of Its Kind – Establishing the first privately protected area in the world dedicated specifically to Abronia campbelli.

Cloud Forest Recovery – Continuing to restore canopy habitat rich in the bromeliads and orchids the species depends on.

Building Toward Reintroduction – At maturity, the protected area is projected to support at least 13,000 lizards, a major step up for a species now confined to roughly 360 hectares of fragmented habitat.