About two months ago I wrote about an initiative that was being launched to save Haitian amphibians. Conservation International (CI) has shared news of some of the early successes of the project:
…Conservation International’s (CI) Amphibian Conservation Officer Dr. Robin Moore set out to examine the status of some of the country’s stressed ecosystems. In October, Moore embarked on an expedition to find amphibian species not seen in more than a decade in Haiti’s fragmented forests. This search had surprising results — the rediscovery of several species not seen in almost 20 years.
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Moore’s journey to Haiti was part of CI’s Search for the Lost Frogs, an ongoing global search for amphibian species not seen in at least a decade. Moore co-led the expedition with Dr. Blair Hedges from Pennsylvania State University — an expert in Caribbean herpetology who was the last person to see many of these species. The main object of their search was the La Selle grass frog (Eleutherodactylus glanduliferoides), a species not seen since 1985.In the southwestern part of the country, the scientists divided their field work between two forested areas designated as priority conservation areas by the Alliance for Zero Extinction (AZE), a global partnership of conservation organizations. The biggest site, called Massif de la Hotte, was designated the third-highest priority site in the world by AZE. Home to at least 15 Endangered and Critically Endangered amphibian species found nowhere else, this mountainous region is “the only site left in the country with good forest cover,” said Moore.
Unexpected Rediscoveries
Although they didn’t find the “lost” frog in question, the week-long expedition did unearth 23 of Haiti’s 49 known native frog species — six of which hadn’t been seen in 19 years. Among the rediscoveries: the ventriloquial landfrog (Eleutherodactylus dolomedes), which was previously only known from a few specimens. As its name implies, this species can project its voice to sound as if it’s coming from somewhere else, making it extremely difficult to locate. Moore and the other researchers spent hours trying to home in on one individual.During the survey, individuals from 10 Critically Endangered species were collected for a captive breeding program at the Philadelphia Zoo. This captive population will preserve the species (and allow for possible reintroduction) if the wild populations are wiped out — an assured outcome if deforestation is allowed to continue.
“The biodiversity of Haiti, including its frogs, is approaching a mass extinction event caused by massive and nearly complete deforestation,” said Dr. Blair Hedges. “Unless the global community comes up with a solution soon, we will lose many unique species forever.”
Find out more at the CI website where, in addition to seeing photos of the rediscovered frogs, you can listen to some of their calls and watch video of Robin Moore talking about the project and its significance.
Previously on Green Antilles: Saving Haiti’s frogs, Conserving epicentres of imminent extinction in the Caribbean, and Protecting ecosystems and economies in Haiti.
[Photo: © Robin Moore/iLCP via Conservation International]
