 Golden Frogs are classified as Critically Endangered by The World Conservation Union (IUCN) due to habitat loss and the spread of the deadly chytrid fungus. Frogs that already suffer from the fungus can be cured by veterinarians, but they cannot be returned to the wild because of the certainty of re-infection and death.
In response to the declines and disappearances of Golden Frog populations, a group of concerned biologists convened and formed Project Golden Frog (PGF), a conservation group among scientific, educational, and zoological institutions in the Republic of Panama and United States. PGF is a proactive conservation initiative whose single, simple goal is to ensure the survival of one of the most well known, culturally significant, and charismatic amphibians in the world.
PGF directs a coordinated conservation effort with both governmental agencies and non-governmental organizations. Through education, the group is working to create heightened awareness of current global amphibian declines and greater respect among Panamanians and global citizens concerning wildlife. Their efforts also focus on greater land preservation for threatened and endangered species throughout the world.
In collaboration with the Amphibian Recovery Conservation Coalition and the Houston and Denver Zoos, researchers are helping build the El Valle Amphibian Conservation Center in central Panama. The focus of the conservation center is education and the captive propagation of about 30 species of amphibians, some of which are endemic to the central Panamanian highlands.
Learn more about the amphibian crisis.
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