Breviceps gibbosus by Tim Halliday
ISSN 1026-0269
FROGLOG Newsletter of the Declining Amphibian Populations Task Force
October 2005, Number 71
The Future of the Declining Amphibian Populations Task Force (DAPTF) Part III DAPTF at the Amphibian Conservation Summit, Washington, D.C., USA During 17-19 September 2005, the DAPTF participated in the Amphibian Conservation Summit in Washington, D.C. The Summit was convened by the Center for Applied Biodiversity Science and Conservation International (CI), the Species Survival Commission (SSC) of the World Conservation Union (IUCN) and the DAPTF. Due to the strict dress code of the meeting venue, it may well have been the largest congregation of well-dressed herpetologists ever witnessed. The Summit opened with an introduction by Holly Dublin, the Chair of the SSC, followed by an overview of the Global Amphibian Assessment (GAA) by Simon Stuart of the IUCN. This was followed by thematic presentations of Action Plan White Papers by leaders in specific fields. Topics included Disease, Climate Change, Ecotoxicology, Systematics, Captive Breeding, Reintroduction, Site and Landscape Planning and Overharvesting. During the following two days, the attendees formed working groups representing each of these themes in order to further define and prioritize actions and a budget. The results of these sessions culminated in the drafting of a comprehensive strategic action plan known as the ACAP – the Amphibian Conservation Action Plan. This Action Plan will be used to prioritize amphibian research and
conservation priorities including a final overall budget and fund-raising strategy for their immediate implementation. For further information please see: http://www.iucn.org/themes/ssc. The future of the DAPTF was also discussed. It was agreed that we will continue with our ongoing activities until June 2006, such as providing our free, bimonthly newsletter, Froglog (which receives over 16,000 hits per month), supporting our global working groups and administering our Seed Grant and Rapid Response programs. After June, the DAPTF will join the Global Amphibian Specialist Group (GASG) and the Global Amphibian Assessment (GAA) to form the Amphibian Specialist Group (ASG). The DAPTF will become the research division of a three-pronged approach, also including a conservation division and an assessment division. This newly created group will be managed under the auspices of the SSC and was formally introduced by Holly Dublin on the last day of the Summit. We hope to continue and expand our Working Group network, Seed Grant and Rapid Response programs and the production of Froglog, to become the newsletter of the entire partnership. For further information please contact Jeanne McKay at daptf@open.ac.uk Jeanne McKay and Tim Halliday DAPTF SEED GRANTS 2006
We are pleased to announce a new round of Seed Grants for 2006. These are intended as one-time awards of between $500 and $2000 for the support or initiation of research that furthers the DAPTF’s mission to determine the nature, extent and causes of amphibian population declines. There are
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three categories in this year’s round, thanks to generous support from the US Department of the Interior’s Amphibian Research and Monitoring Initiative (ARMI), and from the North of England Zoological SocietyChester Zoo in the UK. We will accept applications in Spanish, Portuguese and French, as well as in English. ARMI AWARDS. The criterion for these awards is that the proposed work should be done on species or issues of concern in the USA. ARMI is particularly interested in funding research on potential stressors of amphibian populations. For more information about ARMI, go to: http://armi.usgs.gov/ CHESTER ZOO AWARDS. Grants are available to support specific amphibian conservation action for new or existing initiatives. This action may be captive breeding, local community initiatives, habitat protection or population monitoring. Preference will be given to applicants from Asia, Africa and Central and South America. UNRESTRICTED AWARDS. The DAPTF welcomes applications that address any aspect of amphibian declines, but favours joint applications that involve a partnership between herpetologists in developed and developing countries. We are also prioritising research that investigates synergistic effects between two or more factors that have been identified as actual or potential causes of amphibian population declines. Applicants should indicate which of the above categories they have in mind, but we will consider applications in the ARMI and Chester Zoo categories also in the Unrestricted category. Do not hesitate to contact Tim Halliday if you need clarification or advice.