Regional Initiative · 2024–2029
Tropical Amphibian Resilience Initiative
The first coordinated international effort to halt amphibian extinctions in the Neotropics.
Supported by the Bezos Earth Fund
A New Model
Disease crosses borders. So should our response.
For decades, amphibian conservation has been fragmented. Organizations working in isolation, developing their own protocols, facing the same challenges without shared solutions. When a disease outbreak hits, there's no coordinated response. Progress stays slow.
The Tropical Amphibian Resilience Initiative (TARI) changes that. Four breeding centers. Four countries. One framework. When Ecuador refines a breeding protocol, Colombia knows. When Panama tests a release approach, the whole network sees what works.
"This is conservation at the speed of collaboration."
Strategic Focus
Why start in the Neotropics?
Chytrid has hit this region harder than anywhere on Earth. If coordinated action works here, it works anywhere.
Our Approach
Three pillars of action
01
Get them back out
Testing novel disease mitigation, identifying climate refuges, and developing rewilding techniques so reintroduced populations can survive chytrid.
02
Keep them alive
Growing captive populations by 15%+, building a regional Amphibian Biobank, and sharing husbandry breakthroughs across all four centers.
03
Shape the future
Updating national action plans, training the next generation, and building local support through community outreach.
Beyond the Neotropics
This is how conservation scales.
One framework. Proven here. Ready for anywhere.
Africa
Unique species, emerging threats, no regional coordination yet
Southeast Asia
Landscapes changing faster than any single country can respond
Oceania
Island endemics facing chytrid and habitat loss
The Neotropics is the pilot. The model is the legacy.
The Partners
Four centers. Four countries. Decades of expertise.
Co-led and coordinated by the Amphibian Survival Alliance and the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute.
Panama
Panama Amphibian Rescue and Conservation Project
15 years of STRI-zoo partnership. 12 endangered species. World-class disease testing.
Ecuador
Centro Jambatu de Investigación y Conservación de Anfibios
Ecuador's leading amphibian center. Captive breeding, habitat restoration, and assisted reproduction research.
Colombia
Parque Explora
Medellín's science museum turned conservation hub. Breeding, research, and millions of visitors reached.
Venezuela
FUDECI
Research and conservation in one of the world's most biodiverse but challenging landscapes.
By 2029
The targets
One region. One model. Unlimited potential.
What we prove here shapes what's possible everywhere else.