Did you know that over 200 species of frogs have disappeared worldwide in just over the past three decades and that one-third of the remaining frog species are in big trouble? What makes this so alarming is that frogs are incredibly important organisms for ecosystems and for humans. Not only are they integral components of ecosystems ranging from tropical rainforests to deserts, they extensively benefit humans by consuming insects (including many pests) and serve us as bio-indicators of overall environmental health.
To bring public attention to the importance of amphibians to our world, Save the Frogs! was created in 2008. Save the Frogs! remains as America’s first and only public charity dedicated entirely to amphibian conservation. They are a 501(c)(3) organization and you can visit their website for things you can do to help this wonderful organization in their efforts to protect amphibians worldwide.
I felt incredibly fortunate to have worked with this wonderful organization to help co-lead a trip to the amazing country of Belize in July 2013. Belize is a tiny country (about the size of the state of New Hampshire) but has managed to protect vast stretches of natural habitat. It is home to 37 species of amphibians as well as hundreds of other animal species – and we managed to see a pretty fair number of frog species. I maintained a blog of the trip – this can be found under the Belize tab (TRAVELS section) under “Belize 2013 Blog” or you can click HERE.
The 2013 trip occurred from July 11-20. We explored the tropical savanna and pine forests of central Belize, the tropical rainforest of the Maya Mountains and of southern Belize, and the tropical barrier reef just offshore from the mainland.
bassariscus.me 