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Dear friends,
I met Phil back in 2011 at the first meeting of the Amphibian Survival Alliance in Washington, D.C., in his then new capacity as Chief Scientist of the ASA. Shattering all stiff upper-lipped British and professorial stereotypes and social
conventions Phil greeted everyone warmly, like a friend you hadn’t seen in a while, and proceeded to hand out T-shirts that read “FACT…The Survival of the EARTH depends on FROGS”. That indelible mark was set right there, but we did not know then how much he would come to shape us as people and our global amphibian conservation community.
Since then, Phil remained involved with the ASA but was also appointed as Co-Chair of the IUCN SSC Amphibian Specialist Group in 2012 and as Steering Committee and Executive Committee member of the Amphibian Ark in
2011, working his way towards becoming a prominent, articulate and much needed spokesperson for global amphibian conservation. And Phil did all of this in a voluntary capacity, which speaks volumes of his passion and commitment to the cause.
We have been incredibly fortunate to work alongside Phil when he wore his ASG and ASA hats. Phil was a natural leader and a doer, and even if he was buried in work he always found a way to surface and support the task at hand – with brilliance, wit and good humour, we may add.
His diagnosis and passing in January caught us all off guard and to this day it still hurts, and will continue to do so for the foreseeable future. But his legacy is vast, and though he may no longer be physically among us his teachings are very present. We often find ourselves thinking “what would Phil do?”, or “what would Phil say?” – an indication of both Phil’s reach and the respect that he earned through his actions.
We don’t know if Phil realized how much he was admired and loved. This became apparent to us upon news of his diagnosis and then at his service, where folks were tuning in from every corner – and time zone – of the world. As the contributions to this special issue will clearly attest to, Phil was an extraordinary human being, and his personality and spirit shine through the stories that are shared by colleagues, students and friends alike.
This special issue also sees the return of FrogLog to hosting an ASA news (formerly a part of FrogLog but later turned into the Frogress Report for ASA partners), ASG news and amphibian conservation community news sections. It seems fitting that news from the two groups that Phil helped lead and shape return to sharing the same umbrella publication with this special issue. Phil, we miss you so very much. Please take this little offering of ours as a token of our gratitude
for everything that you selflessly gave us and the amphibians we love. You made us want to be better people; you made this world a better place.
Debbie, Adam and Luke, please take this special issue as our effort to honour Phil and you, too. You are all incredible (no wonder you are Phil’s family!), and will always be in our hearts.
Ariadne Angulo
Chair, IUCN SSC Amphibian Specialist Group
TABLE OF CONTENTS
3- Editorial
REMEMBERING PHIL BISHOP
4 The Amazing Frog-Fingered Phil Bishop
6 Memories of Phil From His Time in South Africa
7 Memories of Good Times With Phil Bishop
10 Phil Bishop Tribute
11 Counting You In
11 Phil, Bishop of the Frogs
13 Tribute to Phil
14 In Memory of Phil Bishop
14 Phil in Madagascar
15 Remembering Phil
15 Memories of Phil Bishop
15 Fond Memories of Phil
16 Thanks, Phil, for Everything
17 The Gift of Opening Minds
17 Remembering Phil Bishop
18 The Bishops in Borneo
21 Treasure Hunting With Legends
22 Remembering Professor Phil Bishop
23 In Memory of an Inspiration and Hero
NEWS FROM THE AMPHIBIAN COMMUNITY
25 Croak: A Book of Fun for Frog Lovers
26 Amphibian Conservation Needs Assessments
29 David Wake, a Prominent Herpetologist Who Warned of Amphibian Declines, Dead at 84
31 Rainer Schulte (1948-2021)
NEWS FROM THE IUCN SSC AMPHIBIAN SPECIALIST GROUP (ASG)
32 More Than 40 Organizations From 13 Countries Come Together to Protect and Restore Harlequin Toads
34 Amphibian Reintroduction Guidelines Are Here!
34 Reconstitution of the ASG Membership for the 2021-2025 IUCN Period
35 Action Plan for the Conservation of Mantella cowanii Launched in Antananarivo, Madagascar
36 Open Consultation on Draft ACAP Status Review Opening Soon
NEWS FROM THE AMPHIBIAN SURVIVAL ALLIANCE (ASA)
37 Thank you Phil. We Will Miss you so Much
38 AmphibiaWeb Celebrates Students
38 Exciting Discoveries During the First Amphibian Survey of One of Madagascar’s Smallest Protected Areas
40 2021 World Press Photo of the Year
41 Protecting the Endemic and Threatened Frogs of the Western Cape, South Africa
42 Lunar Landings: Research Shows That Toad and Frog Migrations Peak at a Full Moon!
43 The Amphibian Conservation Fund – Catalysing Support for Amphibians
44 Science and Art Come Together to Reveal Amphibians and Reptiles From Southwestern Angola
45 Conservation Efforts with Local People to Protect Frogs in Peru
46 Zero Extinction Status Makes Atewa No-Go Area for Mining
47 The Giant of the Pampas: Conserving Amphibians in a Global Pandemic Context
48 Meet ASA Future Leader of Conservation James Watuwa
49 Pakistan’s Amphibians Need More Research Efforts and Better Protection
50 Pedro Peloso Is a 2021 Awardee of the Maxwell/Hanrahan Individual Award in Field Biology
