Saving Endangered Frogs In Hispaniola

<p>Carlos Rivera Martinez</p>
<p>Carlos Rivera Martinez</p>

Building Local Management Capacity and Conservation Plans to Save Endangered Frogs in Four High Priority Key Biodiversity Areas in Hispaniola

The Hispaniolan orange-legged land frog (Eleutherodactylus lamprotes) is one of the many endangered frogs found only in Massif de La Hotte, Haiti. When at rest, it looks like any drab colored frog, but when it jumps you can see the brilliant colors between the hind legs, on the side of their bellies, and under the fore arms. These flash markings are believed to scare off potential predators and confuse them with the sudden burst of color as the frog jumps away.

Massif de La Hotte is one of the key biodiversity areas in the Caribbean Islands biodiversity hotspot where the Critical Ecosystem Partnership Fund (CEPF) is actively supporting conservation. It is home to more than 40 species of frogs, most of which are endangered due to deforestation and poor land management.

With support from the CEPF, the Philadelphia Zoo Amphibian Conservation Programme is working with Grupo Jaragua and Société Audubon Haiti to gather information on the conservation status of these amphibians and their habitat, and are providing information to key stakeholders in Haiti and the Dominican Republic who are trying to protect the biodiversity of Hispaniola.

The Philadelphia Zoo Amphibian Conservation Programme is working with Société Audubon in Haiti and Grupo Jaragua in the Dominican Republic to support amphibian conservation in four key biodiversity areas in Hispaniola.

The project goals include strengthening the technical capacity of 50 local conservationists and community members, establishing a bi-national network of 17 institutions, conducting baseline ecological field work, developing site-based amphibian management guidelines, and conducting relevant environmental education for communities and the general public.

The Philadelphia Zoo Amphibian Conservation Programme is working with Grupo Jaragua and Société Audubon Haiti to gather information on the conservation status of these amphibians and their habitat, and are providing information to key stakeholders in Haiti and the Dominican Republic who are trying to protect the biodiversity of Hispaniola.