Defenders of Wildlife Blog

Alejandra Goyenechea, International Counsel

It’s with great joy that we wrapped up this year’s Convention on Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) Conference of the Parties. It proved to be an historic meeting, especially for the conservation of the marine species we’ve been focusing on for so many years. We worked hard to disseminate information and advocate for these species to be included in CITES Appendices that regulate or prohibit their trade — and all our work paid off!

An oceanic whitetip shark, one of five shark species we supported at CITES this year (©Peter Koelbl)

We are thrilled to report that the listing proposals of several species of sharks that we were supporting were approved, including oceanic whitetips (despite opposition from delegates representing Japan, Gambia and India, among others), and three species of hammerhead sharks (despite opposition from delegates representing Grenada and China, among others). At the end of the conference, at least two-thirds of the delegates voted in favor of including those species under the protection of CITES. Porbeagle sharks and two species of manta rays were also approved. The amount of support for these proposals was so overwhelming that the opponents did not even get an opportunity to reopen the debate later in the conference.

This was the first time since 2004 that the trade of commercially valuable shark species has been regulated. While an Appendix II listing does not entirely ban the trade of these species, it puts new regulations in place that require permits for exporting the fins and other parts of these animals, giving officials the data on the numbers being traded and an account of the specific species traded. Listing them in CITES will help shut down illegal trade in these species and give these vulnerable sharks an opportunity to begin recovering their numbers from the impact of the fin trade.

This meeting will also be remembered because of the unprecedented number of endangered and threatened tropical trees that were listed by consensus in Appendix II: 125 species of rosewood, ebony and sandalwood from Southeast Asia, Africa and Central America were added under CITES. These historic votes meant that finally, the countries of the world, exporters and importers, recognized that the international trade of precious tropical woods needed immediate regulation to put a stop to overexploitation and illegal harvesting before it is too late to save these species.

Spotted turtle (c)John J. Mosesso/NBII

We are also delighted that delegates adopted other proposals we worked on, such as the decision to list the Ecuadorean Machalilla’s frog (Epipedobates machalilla). Many other species gained placement on the CITES Appendices this year as well, including three U.S. species of turtles: Blanding’s turtle, the spotted turtle and the diamondback terrapin, all of which have been declining due to overexploitation. A proposal to uplist to Appendix I and therefore ban the international commercial trade of the West African manatee was approved by consensus, thanks to the wide support of many countries. New Zealand’s green geckos – a species declining because collectors find the animal’s color so appealing – was also listed, as were several species of snakes. In a proposal from Australia, freshwater sawfish were also protected by a new listing that bans the international trade of the species unless for scientific research purposes or under other extenuating circumstances.

Much of the meeting’s success came from the collaboration between Latin American countries, some African nations (mainly from the West), the United States and Europe. It was rewarding to see so many nations recognize the importance of basing their decisions for these proposals on sound science, and to watch them respond to the excessive international trade that is taking a great toll on many species and cannot be allowed to continue unchecked. Now comes the next step for Juan Carlos, our colleague in Mexico, and myself: assisting with training and capacity building in Latin American Parties to CITES to help implement of these decisions and allow the listings to be not only historic, but also truly successful.

Alejandra Goyenechea, International Counsel 

Frogs, newts and salamanders all have one very important thing in common: they’re amphibians, and that means they’re members of the most endangered group of animals in the world. Amphibians are indicator species, very sensitive to changes in the environment, and their status helps scientists see how an ecosystem is functioning.

Alejandra presents her report at CITES CoP 16.

Today one-third of all amphibian species are considered threatened or endangered by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), and the specific threats to this group of animals is as varied as the species themselves. It includes habitat loss, climate change, pollution, disease and more, but one thing making it all worse is the wildlife trade. Not only are frogs removed from the wild to be placed in the pet and food trades, but moving these species around the globe has contributed a great deal to the spread of diseases that affect amphibians, such as the chytrid fungus that has led to the decline in populations of countless species of frogs.

At every CITES conference, there are a number of side events — presentations to educate those attending the conference on a number of issues pertaining to wildlife and trade. Last week, we teamed up with ProWildlife and the Animal Welfare Institute to put on a presentation to highlight the impact of international trade in amphibians – a trade that amounts to millions of live frogs, newts and other amphibians traded every year for the pet and food market. The event focused a great deal on the increasing trade in live amphibians to the United States, as well as the increase in frozen frog legs to the European Union. Sandra Altherr from ProWildlife and I presented a report [PDF] that we authored together about impacts of the frog leg trade. Even in the U.S., more than half of the 25 million live frogs imported every year are part of this culinary practice.

Toad Mountain harlequin frog.

The other two experts we invited spoke not only about the direct impacts of the international amphibian trade, but also its indirect effects. Jonathan Kolby from the James Cook University of Australia and Mark Auylia from the Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research spoke about the spread of amphibian diseases through the international wildlife trade and the Risk Assessment of Chytridiomycosis to European amphibian diversity, respectively. Many CITES delegates and other non-governmental organizations attended the event. We were able to distribute our report to the attendees and even handed out frog pens to give people a physical reminder that amphibians are at risk from international trade. We will continue to keep this crucial issue on the conference radar.

One of the proposals we helped work on this year was for the Machalilla’s frog (Epipedobates machalilla), and I’m happy to report that it passed! I worked very closely with officials from Ecuador to help this proposal be presented and adopted – I was even able to speak on the Conference floor in support of it. Ecuador presented the proposal to list the Machalilla’s frog in Appendix II, and the Committee adopted the proposal by consensus.

The real purpose of leap day may be to keep the calendar aligned with the seasons, but here at Defenders of Wildlife, we’d like to believe the day is designed to honor our favorite leapers. To celebrate, we’ve put together some fun facts about frog leaping.

• Not all frogs can leap, or even hop. The desert rain frog (Breviceps macrops) has legs that are too short to hop. Instead, it walks.
• Male frogs of the genus Pipa are known to defend their territory by jumping at and then wrestling other males.
• The New Guinea bush frog (Asterophrys turpicola) takes jump attacks one step further: before it jumps at a strange frog, it inflates itself and shows off its blue tongue.
• Stumpffia tridactyla are normally slow-moving critters, but when they’re startled they can abruptly jump up to 8 inches. That doesn’t sound very far, but these little guys are less than half an inch long!
• The Fuji tree frog (Platymantis vitiensis) may be the leaping stuntman of the frog world. Each time it leaps, it twists in the air—sometimes even 180 degrees—to throw predators off its trail.
• The Larut torrent frog (Amolops larutensis) gets its name from a nifty leaping trick: it can jump into a fast-moving stream and back to its usual perch, the underside of a rock, without being affected by the current.
• Similarly, the parachuting red-eyed leaf frog (Agalychnis saltator) gets its name because it speeds to mating opportunities by jumping from trees with finger-and toe-webbing spread wide.
• The record for longest jump by an American bullfrog (Rana catesbeiana) recorded in a scientific paper is a little over 4 feet. But scientists who went to the Calaveras County Fair, which Mark Twain’s short story made famous for frog jumping, found that more than half the competitors bested that record—and one jumped more than 7 feet in one leap!
• The Guinness Book of World Records doesn’t include any frogs for their leaping ability. But it does track human performance in frog jumping (jumping while holding one’s toes). There are records listed for the longest frog jump and the fastest frog jumping over 10 and 100 meters.

Get your frog fix this leap day by checking out this  frogtastic video and song written by Alex Culbreth (produced by  Panama Amphibian Rescue and Conservation Project)

Defenders of Wildlife and numerous zoos across the country are in a fight for the lives of frogs. That’s right. The critters that mesmerized many of us as children are in trouble.  Chytrid fungus, a deadly skin disease, has struck many species of frogs, and is spreading through Central America at an average rate of about 30 km per year. This is a race against the clock, with survival of the worldwide amphibian population in jeopardy.

Already, the disease has wiped out 90 species all over the world, including Puerto Rico, the United States, Australia, Central and South America. Defenders is working with scientists that are on the ground in Panama, capturing frogs before chytrid reaches them and searching for a cure.

Learn More

Read part one of a two-part series on the challenges we are facing to stop this deadly disease.

Check out some pictures of the diverse array of frogs.

Read more about this project in Defenders magazine.

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.