the
atelopus
survival
initiative
Jaime Culebras / Photo Wildlife Tours
The Atelopus Survival Initiative (ASI) is a collaborative, coordinated regional effort to unite and mobilize national and international individuals, groups and institutions who are dedicated to improving the conservation status of harlequin toads and implementing substantial, long-term, range-wide actions to save this unique group of amphibians.
Rather than isolated stars, the ASI forms a constellation of champions working together to save harlequin toads.
OUR VISION
To protect stable populations of harlequin toads and mitigate the threats that affect them by studying them and collaborating with stakeholders across the Neotropics to promote the cultural and biological importance of the Atelopus genus.
OUR plan
The Harlequin Toad (Atelopus) Conservation Action Plan (HarleCAP) is an ambitious range-wide plan for the next 20 years (2021-2041) to save harlequin toads from extinction.
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The goal is to combine individual efforts into a broader holistic strategy - a road map of what needs to be done at the regional level to improve the conservation status of harlequin toads that can be adapted and implemented locally according to the needs, opportunities, and realities of each country and site.
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The plan is a collaborative, dynamic effort under the IUCN Amphibian Specialist Group Atelopus Taskforce and the harlequin toad community, encompassing experts and conservation practitioners working together to share their expertise and experience.
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The plan outlines five priorities to conserve harlequin toads across their geographic distribution.
Collaborate & Learn
Ensure our members have the technical, logistical, and financial support, collaboration, and participation to ensure long-term Atelopus conservation.
understand
& know
Gather knowledge and information on population, natural history, and threats in order to help with their conservation in the wild and care in captivity.
protect
& SECURE
Help threatened harlequin toads remain stable in the wild, which includes creating new ways to address emerging disease threats like chytrid.
breed
& secure
Build the capacity of range countries, maintain sustainable captive populations of threatened species, and do reintroductions where needed.
elevate
& PROMOTE
Promote harlequin toads as the jewels of the Neotropics, recognizing their biological and cultural importance in local communities.
atelopus champions
​The Atelopus Survival Initiative is a constellation of champions. We are a collaborative effort uniting different conservation groups, governments, academic institutions, zoos, local and Indigenous communities, and other organizations and individuals who are dedicated to saving harlequin toads from the brink of extinction.
