Florida’s infamous invaders: the impact of the green iguana in South Florida

Since the 1960’s, south Florida has become an ideal habitat to the green iguana (Iguana iguana), a species that is not native to the region or state. Their introduction to Miami-Dade county is a result of the under-regulated pet trade, and the effects of this have been felt at an increasing intensity in the last five decades. Though most invasive species that garner the level of attention from the public and wildlife officials alike pose a direct threat to the native flora and fauna, the largest issue regarding the green iguana is the damages to structures and private property. Iguanas are able to succeed so greatly in South Florida due to the tropical climate and increasingly warmer winters (the coldest average temperature for January, the harshest winter month is at 65* Fahrenheit, currently). These ideal temperatures for prolonged periods paired with the lack of any enemy in the environment allow for iguana numbers to increase, almost entirely without bounds. With consistently warming climates, habitats can become suitable to invaders that can cause damage to native species and create socio-economic disasters Though the state allows the killing of iguanas by private property owners, this solution is now effective against the exponential growth the species experiences each year. With proper enforcement of fair and legal pet trading, education on invasive species and their impacts, and ethical relocation efforts to areas where expensive damages cannot be carried out easily, the invasion may see a slowdown. If efforts are made to reduce practices that expedite climate change, the ability for non-native and invasive species to spread and adapt to new potential habitat ranges will be reduced as well.