Colombia

The ASG have supported the creation of three new protected areas for amphibians in Colombia, protecting over 2,000 Ha and 10 Threatened species

The Amphibian Specialist Group 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 following the creation of El Dorado Reserve.

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 again 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 Fundaci

ón 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.

n 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”.

Colombia

1. Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta

2. La Forzosa

3. Ranita Dorada Reserve

Responding to an emergency situation for two extremely endangered

Poison-dart frogs, this exciting new initiative for amphibian conservation is born from a partnership between the IUCN Amphibian Specialist Group, IUCN Netherlands, Dendrobatidae Nederland, Conservation International, and Fundación ProAves, plus the support of Conservation International-Colombia and the Netherlands Postcode Lottery.

The new reserve encompasses an isolated wet subtropical forest fragment in a region dominated by coffee and pasturelands in the municipality of Falan, department of Tolima. The forest fragment was being cleared for agricultural uses in a region devoid of subtropical forest. The new reserve is the sole home to a large diversity of endangered amphibians, including two spectacular Poison-dart frogs; Swainson’s Poison Frog (Ranitomeya doriswainsonae), and the Little Golden Poison Frog (Ranitomeya tolimense

) as well as other amphibian new to science and as yet undescribed.

This action comes at a crucial moment when conservation measures are urgently needed for this highly sensitive group. Amphibian’s dependence on clean freshwater and sensitivity to deforestation and climate change gives added urgency that we take greater care of them as our own health and survival depends on the same resources. We hope that heralding this new innovative conservation action - the world’s first Amphibian Reserve - will encourage others worldwide to help protect this group.