Conservationists on a mission to save reptiles and amphibians in Bolivia, found rare glass frog species that have not been spotted during the past 18 years.
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Although the micro-scale hydroelectric project in rural Kami in Bolivia, has been helpful in providing clean and renewable electricity to the Bolivian national grid, most frog and reptile species are sensitive to changes that occur in their natural habitats. That is why the team of conservationists were overjoyed in sighting three Bolivian Cochran glass frogs in Carrasco National Park and had commented :
“The rediscovery of this species, one of the most charismatic amphibians in the world, fills us with a ray of hope not only for the future of glass frogs, but for other species as well.”
The 3 glass frogs sighted belong to the Nymphargus bejaranoi genus, and are endemic to the eastern slopes of La Paz, Santa Cruz, Cochabamba and Chuquisaca in the Bolivian Andes. They have been taken to the K’ayra Center, an amphibian conservation centre of the Alcide d’Orbigny Museum, in Cochabamba. There, scientists will try to encourage them to breed by providing them with parental care. while simulating temperatures of wet and dry seasons in their conservation habitat.
Glass Frogs are Highly Sensitive to Environmental Changes
Although glass frog species have been assessed as stable in the IUCN Red List, last global assessment was conducted in 2004, since the species were spotted in 2002. Conservationists fear that in the events that have transpired during the years
thereafter, a third of the global frog population could be under threat of decreasing.
Glass frog species in particular are highly sensitive to changes that affect their habitats.
Inasmuch as their skin is semi-permeable, especially on their stomach, they tend to easily absorb any toxins present in the environment. Since their habitats exist on undisturbed ground areas and in higher levels provided by trees, the continued presence of glass frogs in arboreal areas are regarded as good indicators of the potential health and biodiversity of a wildlife area.