The role of urban greenspaces in fauna conservation: the case of the iguana Ctenosaura similis in the ‘patios’ of León city, Nicaragua

Private urban greenspaces, called ‘patios’ in Latin America, can act as important refuges for wildlife in scattered growing cities of the tropics. We studied the presence and abundance of the black spiny-tailed iguana (Ctenosaura similis) in patios of León city (Nicaragua). Forty patios were structurally characterized and abundances of iguanas were determined through surveys of inhabitants supported by observations of specimens and burrows. Patio area and maximum tree height were variables positively related with presence and abundance of iguanas and presence of burrows. The permeability of fences for iguana movements and the presence of preferred trees for food were also related to presence and abundance of iguanas. Stepwise selection model for abundance of iguanas included number of preferred trees, maximum tree height and permeability of fences. The presence of iguanas was only explained by maximum tree height. Our results show that the indigenous-root types of patios offer the most adequate conditions for the establishment and maintenance of iguana populations among the studied cases. In the light of these results, management practices to preserve the Ctenosaura similis populations in urban patios are suggested.