The forests and streams of South and Central America are speckled with the colors of the rainbow, thanks to #HarlequinToads, known as the ‘jewels of the forests.’ But since the ‘80s, a deadly pathogen, exacerbated by habitat destruction, pollution, invasive predators and climate change, has pushed 83 percent of the 94 species assessed by the IUCN to the brink of extinction.
 
More than 40 organizations came together this week to commit to protecting and restoring this incredible group of amphibians. The new #AtelopusSurvivalInitiative brings together the resources, expertise and passion to prevent the extinction of harlequin toads (or Atelopus) wherever they still survive, and to serve as an effective model for conserving other groups of threatened species.
 
@rewild 
@amphibiansurvivalalliance 
 
#EarthOptimism
#ConservationOptimism

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