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Dear Frogloggers,
Heartbroken. This is how members of the global amphibian conservation community, including the Amphibian Survival Alliance (ASA) and IUCN SSC Amphibian Specialist Group (ASG), have been since learning that our dear mentor and supporter George Rabb has died.
George was a passionate, committed and highly respected global conservationist, having significantly influenced zoos and a wide breadth of conservation issues covering many taxonomic groups. However, when it comes to amphibians, George has left a larger-than-life footprint. It was George’s vision that there be an international entity to address amphibian declines, which led to the creation of the Declining Amphibian Population Task Force (DAPTF) during his tenure as IUCN Species Survival Commission Chair. The DAPTF later amalgamated with the Global Amphibian Specialist Group (GASG) to form today’s ASG.
An early proponent and architect of the Amphibian Survival Alliance, George has been absolutely instrumental in the development of the ASA from its inception to its current form, where he was a key member of the ASA’s Global Council. We would not be where we are today in global amphibian conservation had it not been for George.
Characterized not only by his sharpness and brilliance, but also by his modest and unassuming disposition, his generosity, and his complete and utter devotion and concern for the well-being of amphibians, George was an example to all of us.
Although George is no longer among us, he is not lost to us. We will remember George, and his legacy will continue through the efforts of each and every individual whose lives he touched. That theme is evident in the outpouring of responses from those in the conservation community—including in the reflections in this edition of FrogLog. It is up to us to ensure that his life’s work and his legacy continue beyond our own lifetime, and that when future generations hear about George Rabb, may a sense of awe and gratitude grace their own days and inspire them to continue in his footsteps.
Ariadne Angulo
Co-Chair, IUCN SSC Amphibian Specialist Group
Interim Executive Director, Amphibian Survival Alliance
TABLE OF CONTENTS
3 – Editorial
NEWS FROM THE ASA & ASG
4 – Carrying on the Legacy of Amphibian Conservation Pioneer George Rabb
5 – George Rabb: Founder and “Spiritual” Leader of the Amphibian Conservation Movement
8 – ASG at the 2017 Latin American Congress of Herpetology
9 – New Study Reveals Deadly Pathogen Not Present in Pet Salamanders in the United States
10 – Combining Agroecological Production, Wildlife Conservation and Rescue of Food Culture in the Amazonian Rainforest
NEW FROM THE AMPHIBIAN COMMUNITY
13 – Rediscovering Hope for the Longnose Harlequin Frog
15 – Andean Toad Thought to be Extinct, Rediscovered in the Andes of Ecuador
16 – How did the Newt Cross the Road?
17 – Diaries of Frog Research Adventures in Wau Creek Research Station, Papua New Guinea.
22 – eDNA Provides Potential New Lease on Life for Trinidad Golden Frog
23 – Seeking Conservation Heroes!
23 – Save The Date: Salamander Saturday, 5 May 2018
24 – The Matrix Effect on Amphibians of the Atlantic Rainforest, Brazil
26 – Recent Field Assessment for the Endangered St. Vincent Frog Pristimantis shrevei
29 – Multiple Strategies for Revealing the Amazonian Amphibians: Environmental Education and Conservation Actions in Amazonian Forest
AMPHIBIAN CONSERVATION ACTION PLAN UPDATES
31 – Deadly Salamander Fungus Now Found on Frogs in the Pet Trade
32 – Long Term Analysis of an Outbreak of Chytridiomycosis in the Western Pyrenees
36 – Monitoring a Non-native Amphibian in Cambridge, UK
38 – Progress in Biobanking Amphibian Species Worldwide for Conservation
39 – Ecotoxicological Studies as a Tool on Amphibians’ Disease Risk Assessment