The Grenada frog: Long term monitoring, mapping, outreach and conservation

Presented by Professor Emily Latch & Billie Harrison, Biological Sciences, UW-Milwaukee.

The island of Grenada is home to only two endemic terrestrial vertebrates, the Grenada Dove (Leptotila wellsi) and the Grenada Frog (Pristimantis euphronides). Both are Critically Endangered (IUCN Red List). The Grenada Dove is featured on the national emblem and is considered to be a national treasure. By contrast, the Grenada Frog is virtually unknown. We worked with the IUCN in 2021 to assess the conservation status of all Lesser Antillean amphibians, where mapping and quantitative ecological analysis prompted a status update of the Grenada frog to “Red List, Critically Endangered”. This classification is warranted given extinction threats by habitat fragmentation significantly limiting dispersal and gene flow, reduced global footprint, threats from development, climate change, invasive species, and disease. Our ongoing work is focused on understanding these threats, through ecological and genetic studies, and on strategic and innovative outreach efforts to increase awareness for the Grenada frog and engage citizens to amplify the impacts of conservation actions. These are what shape the overall aims of our research project: 1) to assess species range, demography, and population connectivity for this endemic montane frog, 2) to understand the impact of the fungal disease chytridiomycosis, and 3) to increase awareness of this unique species through targeted, long-term education and outreach activities. We will present these initiatives and challenges along with some exciting new community and student engagement projects.