New golden frog discovered in remote region of Colombia

From: Conservation Leadership Programme.
Published August 28, 2007
New golden frog discovered in remote region of Colombia
Discovery made possible through The Conservation Leadership Programme



Bogota, Colombia, August 28, 2007- A new poisonous frog was recently
discovered in a remote mountainous region in Colombia by a team of
young scientists supported by the Conservation Leadership Programme
(CLP). The new frog, which is almost two centimetres in length, was
given the name the "golden frog of Supata."?



Originally, the young scientists thought the frog was similar to
several other common species in the area. However, after scientific
analysis of the frog's characteristics, and review of their findings
by experts at Conservation International, it was determined that the
golden frog of Supatá is unique and only found within a 20 hectare
area in Colombia's Cundinamarca region. Colombia is one of the world's
richest countries in amphibian diversity, with more than 583 species.



Unfortunately, since this frog is a recent discovery, and endemic to
only the Cunidnamarca region, little is known about it. So far,
scientists say that the golden frog of Supatá belongs to a group of
"dart fogs"? that are known to be highly venomous. In the coming
months, the young scientists hope to have more information about the
frog.



"The importance of this project is not just the discovery of the new
frog,"? said Oswaldo Cortes, team leader and one of the winners of the
2007 Conservation Leadership Programme awards. "But, most importantly,
what this new discovery shows is how little we still know about our
planet, and the many species that haven't yet been discovered. This is
why it is so important to work with local communities and educate them
about the need for conservation."?

In addition to Oswaldo Cortes, the team of scientist includes Erika
Salazar, Giovanni Chaves, Jose Gil, and Ximena Villagran, students,
who attend La Universidad Distrital, and Francisco Jose de Caldas and
Luiz Alberto Rueda of the University of the Andes (La Universidad de
los Andes).

The CLP, formerly known as the BP Conservation Programme, supports the
vital work of a new rising generation of conservation professionals
who are helping to drive practical projects addressing a wide range of
global environmental issues from protecting sharks in Brazil to
conservation of threatened amphibians in Colombia and endangered
turtles in Cambodia to the assessment and conservation of threatened
bird species in China. The deadline for 2008 CLP award applications is
Nov. 23, 2007. To apply for the program, and for further detailed
information on this year's awardees and their conservation research
projects, please visit www.ConservationLeadershipProgramme.org.

The Conservation Leadership Programme (CLP) is a partnership between
BP, BirdLife International, Fauna & Flora International, Conservation
International and the Wildlife Conservation Society. The initiative
has been running since 1985. The partners share a common concern for,
and a commitment to, our natural environment and its constituent
biodiversity. The missions of the four conservation organizations are
dedicated to the notion of conserving biodiversity and supporting a
sustainable relationship between people and nature. For more
information about CLP, please visit www.conservationleadershipprogramme.org.

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