what can marine iguanas — creatures that charles darwin’s crew nicknamed “imps of darkness,” and filmmakers used as inspiration for godzilla — teach us about conservation? the iguanas from above project, started by amy macleod, ph.d. in 2015, explores this question using a fleet of drones and an online community of over 13,000 volunteers from around the world. macleod’s online community has truly included everyone, from pandemic-isolated students to volunteers with chronic illnesses.

these digital volunteers use the “zooniverse” forum to click through aerial photographs and count the number of iguanas in order to inform future conservation practices. such conservation practices matter for marine iguanas, who can lose anywhere from 10 to 90% of their population to starvation during warm-water el niño years. in this story, naturalists explain how “imps of darkness,”  in spite of their extreme boom-and-bust population cycles, offer crucial insights into adaptation, resilience, and evolution.

to continue reading, click on the full story below!

editor’s note: lindblad expeditions, our planet forward storyfest competition partner, made this series possible by providing winners with an experiential learning opportunity aboard one of their ships. we thank lindblad expeditions for their support of our project.