Fundación Atelopus

Fundación Atelopus is a Colombian non-governmental organisation (NGO) dedicated to saving amphibians and reptiles in the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta (SNSM) through research and community outreach.

At A Glance

Fundación Atelopus is a Colombian non-governmental organisation (NGO) dedicated to saving amphibians and reptiles in the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta (SNSM) through research and community outreach.

The Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta (SNSM) is a coastal mountain range, where nine different microclimates can be found, ranging from the tropical dry forest to cloud forests, montane grasslands, and marshes. The Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta National Park is a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve, and has been designated as a Key Biodiversity Area, with 19 endemic amphibians (found only in that specific area). Four of these are harlequin toads, two of which are Endangered and two of which are Critically Endangered. Harlequin toads (Atelopus) are one of the most threatened groups of amphibians in the world, with 81% of species classified as Endangered or Critically Endangered.

Launched in 2018, Fundación Atelopus aims to integrate scientific knowledge with traditional and cultural understanding to develop projects that benefit local communities and ensure the conservation of biodiversity.

Fundación Atelopus values having a good relationship with local communities to build sustainable solutions, and recognises that it is vital that these communities are included in the process as their ecological knowledge is crucial for amphibian conservation. This is clearly demonstrated in the fact that during their research, staff identified a number of some frog species that only locals knew about; to conserve these species, it is vital to work with the communities that know them best.

Locals are trained to monitor amphibian diversity in the area so that they can understand how to protect the populations. The frogs are photographed, cleaned, and weighed to record their sizes and track population growth.

Synchronicity Earth supports Fundación Atelopus to collaborate with Indigenous communities to monitor threatened amphibians of the SNSM, including Starry Night Harlequin toad which until very recently had been thought to be extinct by western science for over 40 years, thereby helping to mitigate the threats to this species.

We are hopeful that Fundación Atelopus’s continuing collaboration with local people will encourage the conservation and preservation of Colombia’s endangered species.