Bezos Earth Fund, Smithsonian Institution and the Amphibian Survival Alliance Join Forces to Save Endangered Frogs in Latin America

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In recent decades, habitat loss, environmental change, and a deadly chytrid fungus has decimated amphibian species around the world. Thanks to a new $2 million grant from the Bezos Earth Fund, the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute (STRI) and the Smithsonian National Zoological Park Conservation Biology Institute (NZCBI), in partnership with the Amphibian Survival Alliance (ASA), launched a transformative five-year project spanning Panamá, Venezuela, Ecuador and Colombia: The Tropical Amphibian Resilience Initiative (TARI). This initiative represents an unprecedented opportunity to address amphibian conservation across Latin America.

“This is an unprecedented opportunity for amphibian conservation,” stated ASA’s Executive Director Gina Della Togna. “For the first time, we are launching a coordinated international effort to halt amphibian extinctions in the Neotropics, a region that harbors 48% of the world’s amphibian biodiversity. It’s a powerful testament to what collaboration and joining forces can achieve for endangered species, and a sobering reminder of how much help amphibians need.”

Geminis' dart frog, a critically endangered species being bred in captivity.

The grant empowers collaborations among international partners, including the Panama Amphibian Rescue and Conservation Project, a conservation partnership between the Smithsonian, Cheyenne Mountain Zoo and Zoo New England. The coalition is building safety-net populations of frog species at risk of extinction from the deadly fungus.

The Amphibian Survival Alliance, the world’s largest global partnership dedicated to the conservation of amphibians and their habitats, rallies collaborators from high amphibian biodiversity landscapes, including Parque Explora (Colombia), FUDECI (Venezuela), and Centro Jambatu de Investigación y Conservación de Anfibios (Ecuador), to deliver regional impact and coordinate on-the-ground conservation actions in key amphibian biodiversity hotspots.

The Bezos donation catalyzes conservation by targeting landscapes with the highest amphibian biodiversity on Earth. This initiative will serve as a model for regional collaboration and knowledge-sharing, ensuring a lasting impact on amphibian populations and their habitats. 

Brian Gratwicke PARC coordinator, Roberto Ibáñez the Director of PARC and Oliver Granucci research intern working in the field.

“Amphibians are the most threatened vertebrates on the planet, yet they receive far less attention than other at-risk species,” said Dr. Cristián Samper, Managing Director and Leader for Nature Solutions at the Bezos Earth Fund. “This partnership between the Bezos Earth Fund and the Smithsonian is about turning the tide, combining cutting-edge science with urgent action to save these species from extinction. By investing in regional collaboration, we are laying the foundation for amphibian conservation that will have a lasting impact.”

The international team of scientists are pioneering new methods to recover amphibian populations affected by fungal diseases and other major threats, rewild native frogs raised in captivity, and identify habitats critical for amphibian conservation. 

The project strengthens captive breeding programs for 25 of the region’s most endangered species, with a goal of boosting captive populations by 15% over five years. It also expands conservation expertise across Latin America, offering training workshops in small-population management and launching a regional Amphibian Biobank to safeguard the genetic diversity of at least 25 critically endangered frog species.

Jorge Guerrel manager of PARC holding a captive bred crowned treefrog

As part of decision-making and community engagement, the project contributes to updating National Amphibian Action Plans for the four countries, aligning them with international biodiversity targets and action plans; and engages over 1,000 students annually through outreach programs and public seminars to raise awareness about amphibians.

“I am deeply grateful to the Bezos Earth Fund for their trust in this partnership and their commitment to conserving the most threatened group of vertebrates on the planet. I am equally thankful to our incredible partners, whose expertise and dedication have made this ambitious initiative possible,” added Della Togna.

This collaboration paves the way for a sustainable future for amphibians and their ecosystems by combining the scientific rigor and institutional strength of STRI with the expertise and regional leadership of ASA. Together, this partnership demonstrates the power of global collaboration in addressing urgent biodiversity challenges and ensuring Life on a Sustainable Planet.

Visitors to the Punta Culebra Nature center observe a glass frog

The New Global Amphibian Conservation Action Plan

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Today’s release, the 2024 Amphibian Conservation Action Plan (ACAP), synthesizes developments in amphibian conservation knowledge and practice over the last 15 years. The IUCN SSC Amphibian Specialist Group (ASG), who oversaw the document development, hopes that this freely available updated ACAP will help provide a solid evidence-base for amphibian conservation actions globally, as well as highlighting areas of knowledge where more research is needed. 

Nearly 41% of amphibian species are at risk of extinction according to the Second Global Amphibian Assessment published on The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species™ in 2023, which confirmed the group’s status as the most threatened class of vertebrates. Today’s publication updates earlier versions of the global Amphibian Conservation Action Plan, first published in 2007 and updated as a digital resource in 2015. The Plan highlights the need for urgent action to address this conservation crisis. 

ASG Co-Chair, and one of the documents editors, Professor Amaël Borzée, said “The new ACAP is a cornerstone for amphibian conservation globally, as well as regionally, and it provides an advanced tool kit to all interested in the conservation of these species”. 

 Today’s release is the first of two complementary documents that will make up the 2024 ACAP. This ‘status review’ document, conceived and edited by the IUCN SSC Amphibian Specialist Group, is authored by over 100 experts from more than 25 countries, most of them ASG members. It synthesizes developments over the last 15 years in major themes relevant for amphibian conservation. For each of those themes the authors identify key knowledge gaps and conservation priorities. After two introductory chapters, the document is divided into three sections focused on different aspects of conservation: Threats, Informing decision-making, and Species management. 

The purpose of this updated ACAP document is both to help guide researchers in identifying the most important knowledge gaps, work on which will have a significant impact to on-the-ground action, and to support those implementing amphibian conservation activities to make evidence-based decisions. While not a one-size-fits-all solution – all chapters will not be applicable to all species – conservation practitioners can pull information from relevant sections to help guide their work.  

ASG’s goal is that this globally scoped document can inform action at regional and local levels, and likewise that ASG acts as a conduit for regional experiences to feed these into global knowledge, improving amphibian conservation action worldwide. 

 “To halt and reverse the long-standing amphibian population declines and prevent more species extinctions, it is critical that amphibian conservation becomes both an integral and a conspicuous part of the biodiversity conservation agenda worldwide” added Sally Wren, ASG Deputy Chair, and lead editor. “Adequate financial and human resources and necessary policy measures are key to addressing this decades-long crisis.” 

Download ACAP at: https://doi.org/10.2305/QWVH2717   

 For more background on the conservation status of amphibians, see the recent State of the World’s Amphibian report, which can be downloaded here: https://www.iucn-amphibians.org/state-of-the-worlds-amphibians/ 

IUCN SSC Amphibian Specialist Group
The Amphibian Specialist Group (ASG) is part of the Species Survival Commission (SSC) of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). It is a volunteer network of over 300 of the world’s leading amphibian experts providing the scientific foundation to inform effective amphibian conservation action around the world. Under the umbrella of the ASG, the Amphibian Red List Authority is the body responsible for overseeing the assessments of all amphibians on The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 

IUCN Species Survival Commission 

With over 10,000 members in 186 territories, the Species Survival Commission (SSC) is the largest of the seven expert Commissions of IUCN and enables it to influence, encourage and assist societies to conserve biodiversity by building knowledge on the status and threats to species, providing advice, developing policies and guidelines, facilitating conservation planning, and catalysing conservation action. Learn more at www.iucn.org/ssc. 

 IUCN – International Union for Conservation of Nature 

IUCN is a membership Union composed of both government and civil society organisations. It harnesses the experience, resources and reach of its more than 1,400 Member organisations and the input of more than 16,000 experts. IUCN is the global authority on the status of the natural world and the measures needed to safeguard it. 

www.iucn.org  https://twitter.com/IUCN/