Just published: "The Challenge of Conserving Amphibian Megadiversity in Madagascar". Those interested could download it as free access at http://biology.plosjournals.org/perlserv/?request=get-document&doi=10.1371/journal.pbio.0060118

Please visit http://www.amphibianark.org/yearofthefrog.htm for more information about Year of the Frog activities and how you can get involved!

Thanks to a generous donation from Andrew Sabin, the Amphibian Specialist Group has instigated an annual award to recognize an individual or group who has made a significant contribution to amphibian conservation.

On May 17 2007, Luis Coloma was honored at an Awards Luncheon in New York, receiving the first Sabin Award for Amphibian Conservation for his pioneering work in Ecuador. Despite being a relatively small country, Ecuador is ranked third in the world for total number of amphibian species (447) and number of threatened species (163). Dr. Luis Coloma’s research is helping us to understand better why frogs and salamanders are disappearing so rapidly in the Andes region of South America. The effects of climate change, particularly acute in high-altitude areas, seem to be at least partially responsible for the alarming extinction rates we are witnessing in frogs. Dr. Coloma’s studies in Ecuador are very valuable to our understanding of the greater global problem of amphibian extinctions. In addition, he has led a broad campaign in his country to educate his fellow countrymen on the plight of amphibians and what can be done to save them. He is also implementing conservation projects to save species most at risk.

The quality of nominees for the 2007 Sabin Award was impressive. We look forward to recognizing the incredible work that is being done around the world through this annual award. Nominations are now open for the 2008 award: please see instructions on how to nominate a candidate in Froglog 86.

The Amphibian Specialist Group has recently participated in safeguarding a critical last refuge for several highly threatened amphibian species in the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta, Colombia. Habitat loss remains the single largest threat to amphibians worldwide and the protection of habitat that harbors such high diversity of threatened species represents an important step in the fight to stem the current amphibian extinction crisis.

Among 595 AZE sites identified worldwide (www.zeroextinction.org), Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta has the second highest number of "trigger species," those species whose threat status (based on the IUCN Red List) and level of endemism make a particular area a conservation priority. At least six Critically Endangered and Endangered amphibian species are found only at this site, a number of which, such as Atelopus leatissimus and A. nahumae, were rediscovered during a recent survey.

Located adjacent to the Parque Nacional Natural Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta, the newly created El Dorado Nature Reserve is situated on the northwestern slope of the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta massif. This peak reaches 5,775 meters above the nearby Caribbean Sea, making it the tallest coastal mountain in the world. Separated from the Andes mountain chain by semiarid regions, the mountain's isolation explains the high rate of endemism found within its self-contained tropical and alpine ecosystems.

Upon learning that the site was slated for development, three member organizations of the AZE stepped in to take action. Conservation International teamed up with the American Bird Conservancy (ABC) to help Fundación ProAves, a Colombian NGO, purchase the 1,600 acre site. The reserve is now being managed by Fundación ProAves, who plan to monitor amphibians and promote ecotourism at El Dorado, encouraging safe and sustainable enjoyment of the site's biodiversity while ensuring the survival of the threatened species it was created to protect.

The ASG has again recently teamed up again with the American Bird Conservancy to enable the purchase of 1,310 acres of habitat in the Central Cordillera in Colombia, to be owned and managed by Colombian partner Fundación ProAves. The newly created reserve is critically important for globally threatened frog species, whose last remaining habitat is diminishing rapidly within the Central Cordillera. Seven vulnerable and four endangered frog species occur within the new reserve, as do five additional species so new to science that they are still awaiting formal descriptions. At least one of these species is believed to be found only at this site, known as La Forzosa, and belongs to one of the most globally threatened amphibian groups, the harlequin toads.

In addition to amphibians, the reserve contains populations of many rare and restricted birds, including the Chestnut-capped Piha, Black Tinamou (known from one other site in southern Colombia, and one in central Peru), Sharpbill, Stiles' Tapaculo, Parker's Antbird, Semi-collared Hawk, Red-bellied Grackle, Multicolored Tanager, Black-and-gold Tanager, and a wintering population of the rapidly declining Cerulean Warbler - a migratory songbird that nests in North America.

"The area is such a remarkable centre of micro-endemism that scientists believe more species may be there waiting to be discovered," said Claude Gascon, Co-Chair of the IUCN/SSC Amphibian Specialist Group. "The new Arrierito Antioqueño Bird Reserve will ensure that the Piha, its habitat, and the astonishing biodiversity that it contains are better protected and can thrive into the future."