Jumping to action

A resplendent shrub frog. Pics courtesy/Renjith Hadlee

Croaking hardly describes the ribbits that add to the soundscape of monsoon evenings in the city. Amphibians, which include frogs, toads, salamanders and newts are a fascinating species. They're beneficial to the ecosystem, have interesting characteristics and help keep pest populations balanced. But besides that, amphibians are also extremely vulnerable and require a specific moist habitat to survive. A slight change in their living conditions can prove to be fatal for amphibians. Madhumay Mallik, content creator from the communications team at Wildlife Trust of India (WTI), explains, "This is why they are the key indicators of an ecosystem's health. Any disturbance such as increasing pollution levels in their habitat, and they are the first ones to die." WTI notes that amphibians have overtaken reptiles as the most threatened taxa in the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List of species. Mallik continues, "Despite their unmitigated decline, most conservation initiatives are usually focused on mega fauna like tigers, elephants, rhinos and so on. And amphibians, who are unable to adapt to any climatic and environmental change, have somehow been overlooked in that perspective."

Pseudo malabaricus

But here comes a tricky question, what can individual citizens do to help protect amphibians? The Delhi-based platform's webinar titled Amphibians and Climate Change will be detailing ways in which citizens can help protect the species. The webinar concludes a week of quizzes, games and information sessions around amphibians in celebration of the annual International Amphibian Week that promotes conservation actions. Sharing a few points on our neighbourhood amphibian watch, Mallik first warns, "Handling any amphibian should not be encouraged, since they can get affected by the germs on our skin." He elaborates that for urban areas or green spots, littering and polluting can damage and contaminate their habitats, and if the amphibian population decreases, mosquito population will increase.

Madhumay Mallik, Gururaja KV and Sethu Parvathy

The webinar will be hosted by WTI's biologist Sethu Parvathy, and batrachologist (one who studies amphibians) Dr Gururaja KV. They will help commoners identify amphibians such as the false Malabar flying frog, resplendent shrub frog, meowing night frog and more. They will bust myths and point out why amphibians are vital to our ecosystem. Mallik discusses a myth he encountered at WTI's Munnar Amphibian Recovery Project in Kerala. He explains that farmers in Munnar were of the idea that frogs were feasting on cardamom flowers when they were keeping pests in check. The webinar is open to all, and Mallik encourages attendance from
all age groups to nurture our understanding of amphibians.

On May 7, 12.30 pm to 1 pm
Log on to @wildlifetrustofindia to register
Free