News

09 April 2019
By Bela Barata

Mantella cowanii is small-sized frog only known to occur in Madagascar and is found in high altitude forests and grassland savannas during the rainy season. The species is threatened by exploitation for the international pet trade as well as deforestation which has left its habitat fragmented and, in some areas, completely lost. Mantella cowanii is classified as Endangered by the IUCN and planning is needed to support further conservation actions. 

Amphibian action plans set a number of guidelines and priorities for species conservation in the local level and is an important document that supports conservation and funding organisations. In December 2018, amphibian specialists came together to discuss future directions for the conservation of Mantella cowanii in Madagascar. 

The two-day action planning workshop was attended by 18 organisations and associations, with a total of 30 participants. The action planning involved different stakeholders including Malagasy government, local communities and international organisations interested in developing and supporting conservation actions for this threatened frog.

The development of the Mantella cowanii action plan links to a number of components and priorities from the CEPF funded project Building a Future for the Amphibians of Madagascar which will, most importantly, help Malagasy researchers find and secure funding through the provision of an endorsed document. 

Thank you to all participants that contributed to this work!