Situated within the tropical grounds of the San Ignacio Resort Hotel in Belize’s western Cayo District, the Green Iguana Conservation Project demonstrates that conservation can be both exciting and enjoyable. Since 1996, this award-winning program has protected and restored the green iguana (Iguana iguana), which was once threatened in the country, while also providing visitors the opportunity to interact with one of Belize’s most charismatic reptiles.

On a guided tour, guests step inside a shaded habitat filled with bright-green iguanas of all ages, from tiny hatchlings to impressive adults lounging on branches. Knowledgeable guides share insights into the species’ life cycle, its importance to Belize’s ecosystems, and the threats it faces in the wild. You can even feed or gently hold an iguana for a one-of-a-kind photo opportunity.

But what really sets this project apart is its innovative temperature-controlled incubation program. The team doesn’t just raise iguanas; they use science to influence the sex of the hatchlings. In green iguanas, cooler incubation temperatures (around 28–30°C / 82-86°F) produce females, while warmer ones (above 31°C / 87+ F) produce males.

By maintaining conditions in the cooler range, the project intentionally hatches more females, a crucial strategy for rebuilding wild populations.

Why females? Because they’re the future. Each female can lay up to 40 eggs per season, dramatically increasing the number of hatchlings that can later be released into Belize’s forests and riverbanks. Focusing on females not only accelerates population recovery but also restores balance to ecosystems where iguanas were once heavily hunted for meat and eggs.

It’s a perfect example of conservation powered by curiosity and proof that sometimes, saving a species comes down to just a few degrees of difference.

All female baby iguanas.

For more information, please visit www.sanignaciobelize.com.