INIBICO > Areas-Investigación > Herpetología > Projects

Since the rediscovery of Dendrobates mysteriosus by Rainer Schulte in 1989 (see Schulte 1990) there was the urgent need to do something to preserve the last habitats of this totally outstanding frog species, that according to newest molecular genetic research (Becky Symula and Kyle Summers, East Carolina University, in prep.) has a lineage that goes independently parallel to all Dendrobates and connects at the root of their tree, a situation similar to Minyobates steyermarki (Vences et al. 2003). This status is enough reason to put this species immediately on PRIORITY 1 listing for conservation efforts- but with the result that nobody cares for a small CITES 2 frog when elephants, dolphins and other mammal protection projects can create more publicity highlights in the media.

We could not get any financing for years to purchase some shrub forest remnants to be able to create a protected refuge for this CITES Appendix 2 species. Our second expedition in 2000 showed, that even the few remnant forests selected in 1989 for purchase had vanished totally, bringing this species at the edge of extinction by habitat loss. Fortunately, we could discover some areas where a few last populations of those frogs still survive. Those areas could be defined, delimited, and assigned in 2003 to our Rescue project and are now our property.

At the moment is lacking the purchase of the bush fire security ranges around our owned areas, as we lost part of one reserve and some frogs in 2003 by a pasture fire set by the local campesinos, which jumped over to the frog habitat. We must fence also the ranges against cattle and human intruders and install a ranger service. All our reserves will receive the WILDLIFE REFUGE status from INRENA- ANPES possibly in 2005, after finishing the paperwork and species listing of the plants and animals living in the refuges.

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