Amphibian reserve launched in Colombia

Ranita Dorada Amphibian Reserve

December 2008. The "2008 Year of the Frog" has seen a surge in our knowledge of the threats facing amphibians, including the landmark publication of Threatened Amphibians of the World which highlighted the fact that 33% of the world's amphibians at risk of extinction. Yet despite almost a year of news highlighting the serious plight of amphibians, advances in their conservation have been few and far between.

More endangered amphibians than any other country
Colombia has more threatened amphibians than any other country, largely restricted to highly fragmented subtropical and montane forest which are unprotected and at threat of agricultural expansion. Within Colombia the hotspot of threatened amphibians is the Central Cordillera which also has the greatest concentration of coffee production in South America and almost denuded of natural forests.

200 acres montane forest - new frog species
After extensive searches of the Central Cordillera for amphibians, herpetologist and Fundación ProAves President, Alonso Quevedo, with ecologist Oscar Gallego discovered one of the largest surviving forest fragments, a mere 200 acres of forest on its eastern flank. Not only did Alonso discover that the 200 acres contained many threatened amphibians, but that it held many previously undescribed species including two spectacular poison frogs, recently named as the Swainson's Poison Frog (Ranitomeya doriswainsonae) and Little Golden Poison Frog (Ranitomeya tolimense).

Last chance
Sadly this last 200 acres was in the process of being cleared for avocado and coffee plantations that would almost certainly seal the fate of countless amphibians and other unique biodiversity.

"In an urgent bid to save this unique island of amphibian diversity" said Alonso Quevedo, "I negotiated with different land owners of the 200 acre forest to stop clearing forest and sell the land to the national conservation NGO, Fundación ProAves. The owners agreed, so I immediately approached Conservation International and IUCN Netherlands for emergency support."

"Alonso's proposal to protect a key subtropical forest and establish the Amphibian Reserve was ground-breaking" commented Dr Don Church, Amphibian expert at Conservation International and Amphibian Specialist Group of IUCN, "We had to support it!"

This exciting new initiative for amphibian conservation is born from a partnership of IUCN Amphibian Specialist Group, IUCN Netherlands, Dendrobatidae Nederland, Conservation International-Colombia and Fundación ProAves.

In early December, the newly named "Ranita Dorada Amphibian Reserve", named after the Little Golden Poison Frog, was launched.

This action comes at a crucial moment when conservation measures are urgently needed for this highly sensitive group. Amphibian's dependence on clean freshwater and sensitivity to deforestation and climate change gives added urgency that we take greater care of them as our own health and survival depends on the same resources.

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