Defenders of Wildlife Blog

Believe it or not, African lions were making news in Switzerland last week. Though Defenders mostly focuses on domestic species that need our help, we also have a lean and mean team of international conservation experts that work hard to save imperiled species that not only need protection in the US but also around the globe. And last week, Defenders’ International Counsel, Alejandra Goyenechea, traveled to Geneva to help make a case for protecting species that are at risk due to the global wildlife trade.

The CITES Animals Committee convenes for its 25th meeting in Geneva, Switzerland last week.

Alejandra attended the 25^th meeting of the Animals Committee of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES). This body of scientific experts provides advice and guidance to the Conference of the Parties, working groups and the Secretariat, which are ultimately responsible for enacting laws to protect imperiled wildlife from exploitation through international trade. Defenders was there to advocate for international trade that does not affect the survival of imperiled species, such as lions, sharks and frogs.

We don’t hear about it as often in the United States, but countless species are farmed, hunted or trapped and then shipped across borders as food, trophies, pets and medicinal products. Many of these practices are extremely unsustainable and threaten not only the populations that are being harvested, but also the native species where the animals are imported. Exotic pets, for example, are often released into the wild when their owners can no longer care for them. Some species, like Burmese pythons and Asian bull frogs go on to destroy and displace native species that are ill-equipped to defend themselves against the foreign invaders.

This year, the focus of the meeting was on fish and reptile leathers used for luxury goods. But several other species were being reviewed for the impacts of trade, including:

• Scaphiophryne gottlebei, an endangered native frog from Madagascar;
• Cryptophyllates azureiventris, an endangered frog from Peru;
• Mantella species, some endangered and some critically endangered frogs, native to Madagascar and over-exploited for the international pet trade;
• Dendrobates pumilio from Costa Rica, Nicaragua and Panama.

These species are in decline and threatened by international trade, but no course of action has yet been decided on how to best protect them.

Perhaps the biggest news of the week, however, was a decision to expedite the review of African lion populations. Kenya volunteered to lead that effort, which is very promising since the Kenyan government has so far done the most to protect their dwindling populations of lions. Many other African nations are still struggling to combat poaching, poisoning and unsustainable hunting of lions within their borders. Scientists estimate there are fewer than 40,000 African lions remaining, maybe as few as 23,000, so taking swift action is absolutely necessary to saving the species from extinction.

You can read daily meeting reports from Geneva here, including this summary report.

Click here to read more about Defenders’ efforts to protect African lions.

Read more about lions on Defenders blog.

Earlier this month the St. Petersburg Times reported that the most commonly used fungicide in the U.S. is highly lethal to frogs, and perhaps other wildlife. Chlorothalonil is in the same family of organochlorines as DDT, which was eventually banned in the U.S. because of its impacts on humans and wildlife.

Frogs may be at serious risk from pesticide poisoning.

According to a new peer reviewed study conducted by University of South Florida researchers the amount of chlorothalonil being dumped onto farms and golf courses across the state was enough to poison almost 90 percent of the frogs they tested. A double dose killed them all.

Chlorothalonil is made by Syngenta, a Swiss pesticide manufacturer that also makes atrazine, the most commonly used herbicide in the U.S. and a well-known frog-killing chemical. Defenders has joined forces with other environmental groups to make sure that atrazine and other dangerous pesticides do not threaten imperiled salmon populations.

Atrazine has been associated with severe health problems for humans, including birth defects and other reproductive problems for both men and women. Amphibian studies have shown that atrazine can stimulate estrogen production and cause male frogs to exhibit female characteristics that adversely affect reproductive health. These studies are important because frogs have similar vital systems to humans. Yet EPA maintains that no additional testing is needed.

Save the Frogs Day is just around the corner on April 29, so come celebrate in DC. A group of frog advocates will be gathering at the steps of the Environmental Protection Agency to raise awareness and push for a ban on atrazine.

Learn more about Defenders efforts to protect amphibians.

Should potentially harmful foreign frogs and turtles be allowed into the country? That’s the question the California Fish & Game Commission can’t seem to answer with any finality.

Defenders worked hard last year with our conservation colleagues to put a ban in place on imported frogs and turtles, arguing that these invasive species threaten public health and biodiversity. But less than a year later, the Commission has made an about face and will again allow these non-native animals to be imported.

The American bullfrog is considered invasive on the West Coast and has a negative impact on native species.

In early February, the California Fish & Game Commission voted to repeal a ban on imports of non-native frogs and turtles that would have helped control the spread of disease and protect native wildlife populations. After listening to testimony (watch a video of the hearing here, jump to 3:45:00 of the February 3^rd meeting), the Commission decided to rescind its own decision directing the state Department of Fish & Game to stop issuing permits for the importation of these animals.

The debate has now become mired unnecessarily in the politics of a growing exotic pet trade industry and cultural traditions practiced by a small minority who eat frogs and turtles. Some importers claim that the ban is an assault on their cultural heritage, while others see it as a threat to their business.

The Department of Fish & Game tried taking another tack, however, saying that importation posed no real threat to the state’s natural resources.  However, research has shown that more than five million amphibians are imported each year and that many of these species are a clear threat to native endangered populations. Many of the imported animals are captured in the wild and sold as exotic pets, putting tremendous pressure on dwindling frog and turtle populations around the world. Others come from unregulated captive breeding facilities that can spread virulent forms of disease such as the deadly chytrid fungus and Rana virus.

California imports a very large percentage of the amphibians and turtles that come into the United States, so it’s critical that the state take a lead role in addressing ongoing threats from the import of non-native species. One third of amphibians, in particular, are at  risk of extinction as worldwide populations are in severe decline. Bringing large numbers of these animals into the country every year without tight controls only jeopardizes the future of our own native species.

The state should be focused on protecting its natural resources for all its citizens, not just preserving the rights of a few Californians to enjoy a culinary delicacy or defending the profits of the exotic pet industry.

Thanks to Laura Goldman at Change.org for bringing the latest decision to our attention.

An unlikely duo? Ranchers and conservationists team up to protect open spaces and wildlife in California.

IN THE FIELD: The California Rangeland Conservation Coalition, sponsored in part by Defenders, is hosting its sixth annual summit, “Beyond Conventional Ranching,” today and tomorrow at the Double Tree Hotel in Modesto, California.

The summit includes a field trip to several ranches that have implemented conservation practices, providing an opportunity to see firsthand how conserving private rangelands leads to environmental benefits.

This year, we will take a close look at the role that managed grazing and other conservation practices play in improving watersheds and providing wildlife habit. We will also explore how we can do a better job providing incentives to ranchers for their contributions to conservation.

Protecting Rangeland and Saving Wildlife

Despite decades of fragmentation and land conversion across the state, California rangelands still have amazing wealth of biological diversity. For example, rangelands provide critical wintering habitat for raptors such as the northern harrier and the peregrine falcon. Threatened and endangered wildlife, such as the California tiger salamander, the California red-legged frog, the San Joaquin kit fox and the California ground squirrel, also benefit from rangeland conservation.

Research has shown that several wildlife species, including the Bay checkerspot butterfly and unique habitats such as vernal pools, depend on livestock grazing, which mimics the natural role once played by native grazers (now mostly absent) that keeps invasive vegetation at bay.

Rangelands provide critical wintering habitat for raptors such as the northern harrier and the peregrine falcon. Threatened and endangered wildlife, such as the California tiger salamander, the California red-legged frog, the San Joaquin kit fox and the California ground squirrel, also benefit from rangeland conservation.

This year, we will unveil new research that explores how grazing can be used to create and improve habitat for other amphibian species and the endangered Lange’s metalmark butterfly – drawing special attention to collaboration between the coalition and researchers.

Well-managed cattle grazing fills a vital role in some ecosystems, a duty once beloning to native grazers that are now mostly gone.

Defenders has also been working with the coalition on developing markets and incentives for ecosystem services, or the environmental benefits of keeping rangelands as open space. Aside from providing habitat for imperiled wildlife, for example, rangelands help in the fight against climate change by capturing carbon. Well-managed rangelands also help to maintain clean water supplies and stave off problems like erosion.

Get Involved

Every year the summit brings together conservationists, researchers, government agencies, land trusts and ranchers to celebrate the success of this broad partnership spearheaded by the Cattlemen’s Association and Defenders of Wildlife. Over the years, it has also proven to be a great venue to discuss the opportunities and challenges that lie ahead for rangeland conservation in California.

The event is open to ranchers and members of the public. Register for the summit, or visit www.carangeland.org for more information.

Not sure how? Tracy Schohr, Rangeland Conservation director with the California Cattlemen’s Association, can answer your questions. You can reach her the old-fashioned way at (916) 444-0845.

Creatures in peril

A green giant is lurking in the temperate forests of Chile where it’s becoming increasingly difficult to find.

Calyptocephalella gayi. Photo courtesy of Jose Grau/Puerto Montt

The Chilean frog (known variously as Calyptocephalella gayi and Caudiverbera caudiverbera) is able to mask its relatively massive girth in the trees of the Andean foothills, thanks to its knobby back and splotchy verdant skin. But this nifty camouflage isn’t enough to save it from over-collection by locals who both eat the frog and sell them illegally to other countries.

What’s worse, Chilean frogs are losing habitat quickly in central Chile where growing urban centers are pushing the creatures out of their native homes. Agricultural runoff and other forms of water pollution also threaten the frogs’ ability to survive.

The result is a 30 percent decline in the population over the last ten years—an alarming drop-off that could spell disaster for this endemic species in the coming decades. Climate change could further accelerate their demise by raising water temperatures just a few degrees above what these cool-water creatures can tolerate.

Alejandra puts on her game face at the workshop. Photo courtesy of Alejandra Goyenechea/Defenders of Wildlife.

Chile takes action

Fortunately, the Chilean government has taken notice and is now enlisting conservation experts and biologists to come up with a plan to save Chilean frogs. On Nov. 23, Defenders’ international conservation expert Alejandra Goyenechea ran a day-long workshop in Santiago, Chile’s capital, to identify key threats to the species and brainstorm ways to protect the frogs’ future.

The frogs were given “vulnerable” status by the Chilean government in 2008 and are already on the IUCN Red List, but no formal conservation plan has been adopted. Having such a plan in place is a requirement for listing under Appendix III of CITES, a move that would put a legal requirement  on foreign trade and help raise awareness.

The group celebrates the end of a hard day's work(shop). Photo courtesy of Alejandra Goyenechea.

About 30 government officials and biologists from both academia and national zoos joined Alejandra to share ideas about how to conserve their Chilean frog. The group recommended changes to agricultural laws to limit water pollution and identified needs for further research and education. Officials from the Chilean agriculture ministry will use the information gathered from the workshop to write a conservation plan to be submitted to the CITES Secretariat.

Por la Rana Chilena!

Gracias Alejandra!

Below is some exciting news from our friends over at the National Zoo!  Defenders of Wildlife, the Smithsonian’s National Zoo and 5 other zoos around the country have partnered on The Panama Amphibian Rescue project, created to capture frogs that are directly in the path of chytrid fungus, an epidemic which is wiping out frog populations across the globe, and keep them safe until they can be once again be returned to the wild.

National Zoo and Partners First to Breed Critically Endangered Tree Frog

As frogs around the world continue to disappear—many killed by a rapidly spreading disease called chytridiomycosis, which attacks the skin cells of amphibians—one critically endangered species has received an encouraging boost. Although the La Loma tree frog, Hyloscirtus colymba, is notoriously difficult to care for in captivity, the Panama Amphibian Rescue and Conservation Project is the first to successfully breed this species.

“We are some of the first researchers to attempt to breed these animals into captivity and we have very little information about how to care for them,” said Brian Gratwicke, international coordinator for the project and a research biologist at the Smithsonian’s National Zoo, one of nine project partners. “We were warned that we might not be able to keep these frogs alive, but through a little bit of guesswork, attention to detail and collaboration with other husbandry experts—we’ve managed to breed them. The lessons we’re learning have put us on target to save this incredible species and our other priority species in Panama.”

Nearly one-third of the world’s amphibian species are at risk of extinction. The rescue project aims to save more than 20 species of frogs in Panama, one of the world’s last strongholds for amphibian biodiversity.

The rescue project currently has 28 adult La Loma tree frogs and four tadpoles at the Summit Municipal Park outside of Panama City, Panama. In addition to the La Loma tree frog, the project also has successfully bred the endangered Limosa harlequin frog, Atelopus limosus. Keepers will continue to carefully monitor the tadpoles of both species.

Nearly one-third of the world’s amphibian species are at risk of extinction. The rescue project aims to save more than 20 species of frogs in Panama, one of the world’s last strongholds for amphibian biodiversity. While the global amphibian crisis is the result of habitat loss, climate change and pollution, chytridiomycosis is likely at least partly responsible for the disappearances of 94 of the 120 frog species thought to have gone extinct since 1980.

“Although the outlook for amphibians is grim, the rescue project’s recent developments give us hope for these unique Panamanian species,” said Roberto Ibáñez, local director of the project and a scientist at the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, one of the project’s partners. “We are creating what amounts to an ark for these animals so that their species may survive this deadly disease. We’re also looking for a cure so that someday we can safely release the frogs back into the wild.”

Of Panama’s six harlequin frog species, five are in collections at the Summit Zoological Park and the El Valle Amphibian Conservation Center in El Valle, Panama. One species, the Chiriqui harlequin frog, A. chiriquiensis, from western Panama, is likely extinct. The other species range from being extinct in the wild—the Panamanian golden frog, A. zeteki—to being endangered.

The mission of the Panama Amphibian Rescue and Conservation Project is to rescue amphibian species that are in extreme danger of extinction throughout Panama. The project’s efforts and expertise are focused on establishing assurance colonies and developing methodologies to reduce the impact of the amphibian chytrid fungus so that one day captive amphibians may be reintroduced to the wild. Project participants include Africam Safari, Panama’s Autoridad Nacional del Ambiente, Cheyenne Mountain Zoo, Defenders of Wildlife, El Valle Amphibian Conservation Center, Houston Zoo, Smithsonian’s National Zoological Park, Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, Summit Municipal Park and Zoo New England.

For more information, photos and a new video about this work, visit www.amphibianrescue.org.