Learning with Amphibians: A New Educational Journey for Harlequin Toad Conservation

A new book from Venezuela invites communities across the Andes and beyond to protect harlequin toads through creativity, memory, and collective knowledge.

Across the mountains and forests of Venezuela, harlequin toads have always been more than just amphibians. They are part of local stories, family memories, and the everyday landscapes that shape people’s lives. Today, with many Atelopus species threatened or missing, reconnecting communities with these beautiful animals has become essential for their survival.

That spirit of connection is at the heart of a new book created by Atelopus Survival Initiative (ASI) members from the Grupo de Trabajo Atelopus Venezuela and the Instituto Venezolano de Investigaciones Científicas: "Ruta pedagógica y caja de herramientas didácticas para la conservación de las ranas arlequín. Ideas para una pedagogía de la memoria biocultural.”

This beautifully written and illustrated resource is far more than a pedagogical guide and toolbox for educators, researchers, and conservationists: it is an invitation to imagine conservation as a shared journey built on culture, community, art, and science.

A Toolbox Rooted in Local Knowledge and Community Voices

The book grew out of years of work with schools in the Andes and on Venezuela’s Caribbean coast. Its authors drew inspiration from classrooms, local stories, traditional practices, and the ecological knowledge held by elders – what they call a “dialogue of knowledges.” Rather than placing science above community experience, this approach treats every territory, story, and memory as part of the learning process.

The idea is simple but powerful: conservation works best when it is done collectively. Through playful, creative, and collaborative activities, the book shows how environmental education becomes more meaningful when children, families, teachers, researchers, conservationists, and community leaders learn from one another. It is a celebration of co-creation and of building understanding together.

Strengthening Biocultural Memory

At the core of the book is the concept of biocultural memory: the stories, rituals, and ecological knowledge that connect people to their land and the species that share it. For many Venezuelan communities, harlequin toads are part of that memory: bright colors in mountain streams, songs in the forest, myths passed down through generations. The authors show how reconnecting with these memories helps communities rediscover not only the toads themselves but also the cultural values that sustain healthy ecosystems.

A Teaching Journey That Anyone Can Follow

The guide is divided into two parts: a pedagogical route explaining the principles behind this approach (collective learning, trust-building, respect for territory, creativity, empathy, and listening to the wisdom of elders) and a toolbox of practical activities that teachers, conservationists, and community groups can adapt to their own species, landscapes, and realities.

From painting and poetry to local storytelling and ecological observation, each tool is designed to awaken curiosity, reflection, and care. The process, the authors emphasize, is “spiral, not linear”, a living dialogue between generations and ways of knowing.

Although inspired by Venezuela’s Atelopus species, the methodology can be used anywhere. Any school, any community, and any conservation project can adapt these tools, whether to teach about a frog, a forest, a river, or a cultural tradition.

When Children Become Explorers: A Story from Mérida

One of the most inspiring examples of this approach comes from the cloud forests of Mérida, where students set out to rediscover the long-lost Scarlet Harlequin Toad (Atelopus sorianoi), a bright orange species not seen for three decades.

Armed with stories from their grandparents, drawings, and cameras, students created a documentary called "In Search of the Orange Harlequin: to Save Our Ecosystem.” Through interviews with elders, they learned how forests once shaded the streams and how flashes of orange once brightened the water.

They discovered myths connected to the land, rituals for “sowing water,” and the deep spiritual respect their ancestors held for nature. Although the toad is still missing, what the students found was something equally valuable: a renewed connection to their territory and its living memory. Other activities followed, creating murals, films, songs, and poems about harlequin toads, proving that conservation can also be an act of cultural rebirth.

A Regional Resource for a Shared Future

By blending science with art, tradition, and community voices, this book offers a fresh vision for amphibian conservation: one that places communities, their identities, and stories at the center.

It is a versatile resource for anyone working in amphibian conservation or environmental education, adaptable to any local context. Its core message is universal: by combining science, art, and traditional knowledge, we can cultivate a generation that not only learns about nature but learns with it.

And above all, it reminds us that protecting these toads is not only about saving a species, it is about strengthening the relationships that make conservation truly long-lasting.

The publication of “Ruta pedagógica y caja de herramientas didácticas para la conservación de las ranas arlequín” marks an important step for amphibian conservation in Latin America. It shows how education can be a form of conservation, and how conservation can be an act of cultural renewal.

“The book is an open box of ideas for teaching and learning about harlequin toads. Their survival depends largely on communities reviving and recognizing them in their imaginations, stories, sciences, and arts,” says ASI member and co-author Dinora Sánchez.

By integrating art, science, and community knowledge, this work invites us to imagine new, inclusive, and joyful ways of learning from and protecting the world around us.

The book is available to download here. It was was developed with support from the Atelopus Survival Initiative and funding from Indianapolis Zoo, Aquazoo Löbbecke Museum Dusseldorf, and Re:wild.