Tree Walkers International - The Amphibian Steward Network

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The Amphibian Steward Network

Article Index
The Amphibian Steward Network
Become a Steward
Registering Animals
Documents
Taxon Management Plans

Page 1 of 5

Agalychnis annae in amplexus [1]

Amphibians are facing unprecedented perils in their 370 million year history on Earth. At least one third of the more than 6,000 known species of amphibians are believed to be suffering critical declines or have recently gone completely extinct. The reasons for these declines are many, but one thing is clear, amphibians are disappearing far faster than traditional conservation methods can be implemented to save them. For this reason, a monumental effort is underway to establish the most critically endangered amphibians in captive breeding programs so they may be some day returned to the wild when the threats to their existence have been resolved. Success depends on pooling as many resources as possible to work toward the common goal of securing a place in the future for our planet’s amphibians. The Amphibian Steward Network is but one part of this larger collective effort.

The frogroom of Hiromitsu Tamamizu [2]

The Amphibian Steward Network (ASN) was developed to address two important goals:

Eliminate the unsustainable harvest of amphibians from the wild.

Support the protection and restoration of critically threatened amphibian populations in the wild through captive management and propagation.

ASN harnesses the passion, skills, and resources of private amphibian enthusiasts to help conserve wild amphibians. Our stewards support amphibian conservation in at least three important ways by:

Becoming better stewards of captive amphibians

ASN organizes stewards to establish long-term sustainable captive populations of amphibians that retain their original wild characteristics. These populations are then used to supply commercial demand for amphibians in the pet trade to reduce collecting pressure on wild populations. In addition, ASN stewards support commercial trade practices that work for, rather than against wild amphibian conservation. When amphibians are collected from the wild ethically and responsibly, purchasing dollars are used to support local economies and conservation projects where the amphibians originate.

Supporting conservation breeding programs

Through their passion and knowledge, ASN stewards are powerful advocates for amphibian conservation and the environment. ASN stewards are encouraged to spread the word throughout their communities about the crisis facing the world’s amphibians today, and why amphibians are important indicators of general environmental health. Such grassroots advocacy is vital to gain public support to effectively meet the challenge of saving our planet’s first land dwelling vertebrates.

Developing eggs of Agalychnis moreletii [3]

Benefits of Becoming a Steward

There are many reasons to become an ASN steward. Among these are:

Ensuring the long-term maintenance of captive populations

Access to centralized database of captive holdings and studbooks

Participation in organized network breeding stock exchanges

Access to steward-developed knowledgebase of husbandry and conservation practices

Potential to participate in other amphibian captive breeding programs

Epipedobates silverstonei in Peru [4]

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