In a significant win for wildlife conservation, all Galápagos iguanas — including the iconic marine iguana and all three land iguana species — have been officially uplisted to Appendix I of CITES. This milestone means international commercial trade of these unique reptiles is now fully prohibited.

Although protected under CITES since 1975, these evolutionary marvels have continued to face illegal trade pressures. The new listings, formally proposed by Ecuador, aim to curb this threat and ensure the survival of species found nowhere else on Earth.

Authorities will now be required to verify the legal origin of any iguana specimen, a critical step in the ongoing battle against wildlife trafficking.

To mark this achievement, the Charles Darwin Foundation is celebrating with a series of powerful images by artist, NatGeo Explorer, photographer and filmmaker Mattias Klum — capturing the raw beauty and ancient resilience of these remarkable creatures.