Hello all. We are the COANA initiative, a new partner of ASA.
We devote our work to conserve amphibians in agricultural landscapes and pristine remnants of temperate grasslands from Argentina. The Rio de la Plata Grasslands are the main complex of grassland ecosystems in South America and constitute one of the most productive areas in the world. The entire region has been the scene of the development of a vast livestock industry and a rapid and dramatic increase in intensive agriculture. Nevertheless, very few conservation projects have been carried out in this region, none of them involving amphibians in agro-ecosystems. COANA is an amphibian conservation initiative carried out by biologists, educators, and conservationists. It involves research, education, and outreach activities, which take place mainly in Argentina. Our studies are focused on measuring and describing the effects of agricultural activities on amphibian assemblages. These activities are coordinated with researches and students of the Ecology, Genetic and Evolution Institute of Buenos Aires (Buenos Aires University and National Council of Scientific Research and Technology) The education and outreach activities are coordinated along with NGOs, governmental agencies and Universities and are performed in rural communities. COANA aims to develop, based on scientific evidence, management recommendations that integrate productive and conservation objectives, reducing the tension of conflicts between farmers and biodiversity.