Why frogs?

While frogs and other amphibians may go unnoticed by most people on this planet (but not us!), they have greatly influenced our society and planet’s ecosystems (1). Amphibians have helped to advance the field of medicine, are essential to the ecosystems that we rely on, and are central to many cultural stories and beliefs. Frog Con is just one example of how frogs continue to enrich human lives today – to see so many people gather in the name of frogs is proof in itself that we care about them and should take care of them.  

Around the world, amphibians are declining at an unprecedented rate and are the most threatened class of vertebrae and need more support. In the United States for instance, amphibian conservation is one of the most underfunded programs in wildlife protection. They receive a fraction of what other vertebrates get from the Endangered Species Act fund and have been underfunded for many years (2).

Why are frogs dying?

There are a number of reasons why frogs and other amphibians are in danger, including habitat loss and destruction, climate change, wildlife disease, introduced species and chemical contaminants (1). As you may guess, most, if not all, of these causes are human-related. 

To help prevent further damage to ecosystems and preserve our froggy friends for years to come, humans need to step up to help them! And this is one reason why we have come together at Frog Con. 

 

 

A global alliance to save amphibians

The Amphibian Survival Alliance (ASA) is the world's largest collaborative effort to conserve amphibians. Supporting the activities of more than 70 organizations working to save amphibians around the globe, ASA promotes cooperative efforts for the implementation of collaborative actions on research, education, and conservation of our beloved amphibians.

ASA also helps spread the word about amphibians and their plight through various platforms such as their website amphibians.org, their social media channels (Twitter, Facebook and Instagram), and FrogLog, the world’s #1 amphibian conservation digital magazine. ASA also organizes scientific meetings like the Amphibian Conservation Research Symposium and provides funding to projects that advance amphibian conservation in less funded regions of the world.

Besides supporting organizations, ASA also supports the younger generation of amphibian conservationists around the world through the Future Leaders of Amphibian Conservation program. All funds from Frog Con 2022 donated to ASA were used to support this program.

How can you help?

The first step you can take is to get educated! After reading this page, we suggest you hop over to Amphibiaweb.org. This particular page has great information about amphibian conservation.

If you encounter any sick or dying amphibians in the US or Canada, you can report them to the PARC Disease Task Team, to help early detection of amphibian disease and so action can be quickly taken.  

Another way to help is to purchase merchandise from the official Frog Con store! For all of our merchandise, a portion of profits will be given to ASA. You can also donate directly to organizations ASA.

Educating others – by talking about amphibian extinction with family, friends, and on social media – is another great way to contribute to saving frogs. We encourage you to use the hashtag #frogcon or #frogcon202X to help spread the word!


 
Sources:
  1. Oshiro, Julianne. “Amphibian Conservation - Why Save Amphibians?” Conserving Amphibians Worldwide, University of California, 15 Mar. 2021, amphibiaweb.org/declines/conservation.html
  2. Bishop, P. J., et al. “The Amphibian Extinction Crisis - What Will It Take to Put the Action into the Amphibian Conservation Action Plan?” S.A.P.I.EN.S. Surveys and Perspectives Integrating Environment and Society, Institute Veolia Environment, 23 Aug. 2012, journals.openedition.org/sapiens/1406
  3. Hocking, Daniel, and Kimberly Babbitt. Amphibian Contributions To Ecosystem Services, vol. 9, 13 July 2014, pp. 1–17. University of Massachusetts Amherst, NE CASC, Doi: Northeast Climate Science Center, University of Massachusetts, Holdsworth Hall, Amherst, Massachusetts 01003, USA
  4.  “Conserving Amphibians: What the Amphibians Are Telling Us and Why We Should Listen.” Official Web Page of the U S Fish and Wildlife Service, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, 28 May 2015, www.fws.gov/endangered/news/amphibians.html
  5. “Take Action” AmphibiaWeb, 2021. University of California, Berkeley, CA, USA. Accessed 17 Sep 2021. https://amphibiaweb.org/declines/take_action.html