US alumni join forces for conservation

Now Wim and James are working together on events and other initiatives to bring conservationists and possible supporters together.

“I have been working with the Amphibian Survival Alliance (ASA) since its launch last year and after talking with Wim for a short while I could see it would be the perfect fit,” says James of the IUCN Amphibian Specialist Group and ASA.

“As an amphibian-focused conservation community we have an engaged knowledgeable and enthusiastic group of amphibian scientists, but we really need new ways of getting our message out and engaging the global community.”

The ASA, a global partnership for amphibian conservation, launched last year. It is a growing consortium of organisations and institutions committed to implementing a global strategy to halt the decline and extinction of amphibians. The Alliance is the major force for the conservation of amphibians globally and will bring focus, coordination, and leadership to address the world’s most serious extinction crisis.

 “Approximately 1 in 3 amphibians are in serious threat of extinction, but unlike so many conservation stories the potential for immediate and positive action is huge and that is one of the aspects that really attracted me to working with the ASA” said Wim.

“Only a couple of weeks ago there was the announcement of the release of the Kihansi spray toad back to its natural habitat. This species was declared extinct in the wild but now, through a concerted and joint global effort, it has the potential to be reintroduced to its historical range. There are so many more opportunities like this, and by bringing people together who perhaps haven’t traditionally worked together, I believe we can make a real and positive change.”

For further information regarding the ASA and amphibian conservation efforts please contact James Lewis at jplewis@amphibians.org, and for further details on forthcoming events please contact Wim Shih at wshih@knight.com.