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This edition of FrogLog is more than a regional edition—it’s about highlighting progress and successes being made every day within the scope of amphibian conservation efforts in these focus regions and beyond.
The Amphibian Survival Alliance (ASA) has spent the last 12 months building support and funding for research, conservation and education efforts and is now actively support conservation actions on the ground. To date the ASA has protected 5,860 hectares, awarded 8 grants with a USD value of $315,000 and supported 11 priority species. In another exciting development, to help support our growing community in trying new and innovative approaches to the myriad threats facing amphibians today, the ASA is also pleased to announce the first round of ASA Seed Grants. Further details and information on how to apply for these grants can be found on page 9.
The Amphibian Specialist Group (ASG) is continuing to evolve with a new Secretariat taking the lead. Ariadne Angulo is now the new Co-Chair of the ASG together with Phil Bishop. In addition to Ariadne’s appointment, three new Program Officers are also in place: Sally Wren Helen Meredith and Jos Kielgast.
The ASG Working Groups are continuing to identify priority actions we need to act on as a community to address global amphibian conservation challenges. The ASA is already working to implement some the actions previous identified by Working Groups. At the end of last year the Alliance launched the Leapfrog Conservation Fun, which is now a multimillion dollar annual fund for habitat conservation as well as working with Partners to develop a system of Important Amphibian Areas to help better define those critical habitats.
The Amphibian Red List Authority is also making significant progress. Last year witnessed the launch of a new and improved Amphibian Assessment Forum online platform. A total of 412 amphibian extinction risk assessments and reassessments were published on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species, along with a total of 205 amphibian assessments and reassessments having already been submitted for Red List version 2014.
This edition of FrogLog is also focusing on the successes and progress being made by members of our community across Europe, West Asia and Africa. You’ll find out how “A Conservation Strategy for the Amphibians of Madagascar” (ACSAM) in 2006 in Antananarivo, Madagascar led to significant conservation progress on the ground and how ACSAM2 later this year will build on this. You’ll learn more about the plight of the Giant West African squeaker frog and how local perceptions about amphibian conservation in Cameroon are changing for the better. Things are happening on the ground in Europe as well. See the amazing progress that has been made three years three years after the implementation of a road mitigation project in The Netherland and discover how eight years of research and conservation efforts are helping to save the Montseny Brook newt.
We’re all working together to make a difference for amphibians around the world and this edition proves that there is phenomenal strength in numbers!
Candace M Hansen
Editor-in-chief
Contents
3 Editorial
NEWS FROM THE AMPHIBIAN COMMUNITY
4 A New Meeting for Amphibian Conservation in Madagascar: ACSAM2
6 Aichi Biodiversity Target 12: A Progress Report from the Amphibian Survival Alliance
7 ASG Updates: New ASG Secretariat!
8 ASG Working Groups Update
9 New ASA Seed Grants – APPLY NOW!
9 Report on Amphibian Red List Authority activities April-July 2014
10 Working Together to Make A Difference: ASA and LiquidSpark Partner to Protect Wildlife Habitat and Watersheds
11 Threatened Frogs Protected Alongside Andean Condors by Vast New Protected Area Around the Antisana Volcano, Ecuador
13 Guatemalan Government Creates 47,00-acre Sierra Caral Protected Area
15 The Planet Needs More Superheroes!
16 Anima Mundi-Adventures in Wildlife Photography Issue 15, July 2014 is now out!
16 Recent Record of an Uncommon Endemic Frog Nanorana vicina (Stolickza, 1872) from Murree, Pakistan
17 Global Bd Mapping Project: 2014 Update
22 Constructing an Amphibian Paradise in Your Garden
24 Giants in the Anthropocene Pt. One of Two: Godzilla vs.The Human Condition
26 The Threatened, Exploding Frogs of the Paraguayan Dry Chaco
29 The Amphibians of the Jama-Coaque Reserve
31 Salamander News from The Year of the Salamander
REGIONAL EDITION – Europe, West Asia and Africa
46 A New Challenge For Amphibian Conservation In Madagascar: The Invasion of Duttaphrynus melanostictus in Toamasina Province
48 Citizen Science in the City:Amphibian and Reptile Surveying in an Irish Biosphere Reserve
50 A Newt Crossed the Road: Three Years of a Road Mitigation Project in Leeuwarden, the Netherlands
55 Saving The Montseny Brook Newt (Calotriton arnoldi) From Extinction: An Assessment of Eight Years of Research and Conservation
58 Dead Wood for Frogs in Leeuwarden, the Netherlands-Update!
59 Holding on by a Thread: The Plight of the Giant West African Squeaker Frog, Arthroleptis krokosua
61 Working Together to Develop Madagascar’s Amphibian Captive Breeding Capacity
63 Fragmented Habitats and Species: The Challenges of Amphibian Conservation in Tanzania Today
65 Investigating the Presence of Amphibian Chytrid Fungus and Ranavirus in Madagascar
67 Bouncing Along: An Update from the Endangered Wildlife Trust’s Threatened Amphibian Program
69 Recovery of Aquatic Habitats for Amphibians in Natura 2000 Areas of Eastern Spain
72 At a Biogeographical Crossroads: Amphibian Paradise in Shimba Hills of Kenya
74 Amphibian Conservation Efforts in Ghana
76 Towards Enhancing Local Perceptions for Amphibian Conservation Around Mount Manengouba, Cameroon
79 Poseidon’s Offspring
80 Aliens That Laugh In The Night