CITES Defers Canada's Fijian Iguana Breeding Registration
Canada's proposed commercial breeding operation for two Appendix I iguana species was not accepted at the CITES Standing Committee meeting in Geneva.
Updated on Nov. 6, 2026 in Reptiles
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The CITES Standing Committee, meeting in Geneva from 02 to 6 November, did not accept Canada's proposed registration of a commercial breeding operation for two endangered Fijian iguana species. The Committee agreed to reconsider the application at its 82nd meeting (SC82), and Canada agreed to continue discussions with Fiji.
Why it matters
Fiji opposes the registration because documentation so far does not establish the lawful origin of the original breeding stock. Registration without resolving provenance questions could create the first legal commercial pathway for these Appendix I species.
The CITES Standing Committee deferred the decision, with four Parties backing the registration and five countries backing Fiji's objection. Fiji has no record of authorising live exports of the two species to Europe or the pet trade since their 1981 Appendix I listing.
The players
CITES Standing Committee
The Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora's committee that oversees trade controls and registration decisions among its member Parties.
Fiji
The Pacific island nation that is the native home of the two iguana species and that objected to Canada's registration on provenance grounds.
Canada
The country that proposed registering a commercial iguana breeding operation, and which agreed to continue discussions with Fiji.
The details
The immediate parental stock was reportedly imported into Canada from breeding operations in Austria and the United Kingdom. Australia, New Zealand, Solomon Islands and Tonga jointly objected in support of Fiji, and the United States lodged a separate objection, with the CITES Secretariat referring the objections to the Animals Committee in October 2025.
Timeline
The CITES Standing Committee 81st meeting took place in Geneva from 02 to 6 November.
CITES issued a notification in June 2025 advising against Fiji crested iguana permits.
The CITES Secretariat referred the objections to the Animals Committee in October 2025.
The Committee will reconsider Canada's application at its 82nd meeting (SC82).
Culture Shift
The dispute tests whether the 1981 Appendix I listing of the Fijian banded and crested iguanas, which bars commercial trade, can coexist with a growing captive-breeding pet market. The outcome at SC82 will show how CITES handles provenance gaps for species protected since 1981.
For reptile keepers, the outcome determines whether commercially bred Fijian iguanas could enter the pet market through a legal pathway. Until provenance is resolved, buyers should be cautious about the origin of any Fijian iguana offered for sale.
The takeaway
Commercial registration of Appendix I species depends on documented lawful origin, not on the existence of captive stock alone. Keepers and buyers should verify provenance before acquiring any protected iguana species.
What happens next
The Committee will reconsider Canada's registration application at its 82nd meeting (SC82), and Canada has agreed to continue discussions with Fiji in the meantime.
Further reading
For more on the species and the pet trade, see Reptiles.
Source note: This article includes information reported by Pacific Islands News Association.
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