Community involvement helps to conserve endangered frogs

An international collaboration between the University and a Panamanian wildlife conservation charity is involving local communities in the Santa Fe National Park to help conserve a critically endangered species in Panama.

The Panamanian jungle is lush, pristine and very humid; the waters in its rivers are crystal clear. Surrounded by the sound of the jungle, you would think that you were in paradise.

However, many species of amphibians in Central America are critically endangered, including the beautiful Harlequin frog (Atelopus varius), which is listed by the IUCN as being at risk of extinction.

Professor Amanda Bamford from the Faculty of Biology, Medicine and Health and Andrew Gray from Manchester Museum have teamed up with Panama Wildlife Conservation and the government of Panama to support the conservation of this iconic frog.

The conservation efforts don't just involve their expertise in research, fundraising and captive management of this endangered species. The organisations involved in the collaboration believe that the only true way to really make a difference in supporting future conservation is to involve the local communities, and inspire the young people there to protect the wildlife.

To engage and raise awareness within the local young people, a school environmental education programme has been launched that involves activity booklets, videos, posters, and workshops, all developed by Amanda and Andrew here at The University of Manchester. This follows on from Andrew's and Amanda's conservation-related work in Costa Rica (Learning with Lucy).

Over 1,000 activity booklets focusing on amphibians have already been distributed to local schools in the Santa Fe National Park in Panama. A wider new programme to support green macaw conservation in Panama is planned for later this year.

Amanda says: "Education is one of the most important tools in the long-term conservation of amphibians, to create a community-based conservation programme with scientists and the local community working together to save these beautiful frogs."

Communities as researchers

One of the main objectives is to involve the local indigenous communities as co-researchers in the programme to monitor the Harlequin frogs. This is a crucial part of a new programme being developed in Panama.

"Training local people to conduct transects and help identify individual animals has been a key aspect in gaining baseline data on the wild population," Andrew explains. "The collection of environmental information from data loggers they are placing in the habitat is crucial to aiding our understanding of how these frogs live."

Amanda adds: "The communities can use their local knowledge to help conserve the frogs and, importantly, work to secure direct benefit from the conservation efforts through job creation and future funding."