TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Taiwan’s Forestry and Nature Conservation Agency (FNCA) announced Wednesday that it has removed 36,543 green iguanas from the wild so far this year, tripling the number from the same period in 2024.
Green iguanas, a non-native species introduced by humans, pose growing threats to Taiwan’s ecosystems and agricultural industries, per a FNCA statement. The FNCA said this year’s rapid removal effort is a response to the reptiles’ expanding distribution and potential to damage crops and native biodiversity.
To support the campaign, the agency has updated its mobile app, originally used to report natural disasters affecting crops, to include a green iguana reporting function. Officials say up-to-date data on sightings and removals will help coordinate current and future eradication efforts.
Late spring to early summer is the hatching season for green iguanas, making it a critical period for population control. The agency emphasized that mature females, nests, and eggs are priority targets.
To patrol difficult terrain, four teams of Indigenous hunters have been deployed. Additionally, nine removal squads have been formed in coordination with local governments for broader field operations. So far, local governments have trained 1,635 individuals to support these missions.
Green iguanas were banned from importation in 2015 and classified as a harmful invasive species in 2020, requiring owners to register their pets and banning further breeding. In response to continued population growth, the Agriculture Ministry launched a dedicated removal team in December 2024.
National Pingtung University of Science and Technology professor Chen Tien-hsi (陳添喜) noted in November 2024 that wild green iguana sightings are largely clustered, suggesting their spread is manmade, often the result of escaped pets or abandoned individuals, per Our Island.
FNCA Director-General Lin Hwa-ching (林華慶) echoed this, calling the problem a result of poor human management, per the Environmental Information Centre. While removal is necessary to protect Taiwan’s environment and industries, Lin urged the public not to demonize the animals, stressing that compassion should be shown during removal.
Lin said the agency hopes to apply lessons from Taiwan’s past removal of the invasive African sacred ibis to its green iguana strategy.
A member of Chiayi’s removal unit described night patrols as challenging, noting that the dinosaur-like reptiles often escape into streams, and hunters risk injury from bush terrain or bites, per UDN. The Chiayi County government has enlisted 80 Tsou hunters, significantly boosting its removal capability.
Currently, the FNCA’s containment goal is to keep the wild green iguana population’s northward expansion below Miaoli County.
