Amphibian Ark

Amphibian Ark was established in 2007 to scale up conservation for threatened amphibian species that cannot currently be safeguarded in their natural environments, The organisation is composed of three major partners: the World Association of Zoos and Aquariums (WAZA), the IUCN SSC Conservation Planning Specialist Group (CPSG), and the Amphibian Specialist Group (ASG) who, together, are responsible for implementing the ‘ex-situ’ conservation components of the 2005 IUCN Amphibian Conservation Action Plan.

Amphibians that are at immediate risk of decline are captured and sent to nearby facilities equipped with the required expertise and space to house them, keep them safe, and maintain captive populations for future release into the wild. Through immediate captive management, the Amphibian Ark has helped hundreds of amphibian species that could otherwise have gone extinct to survive the amphibian extinction crisis.

In an effort to prioritise species with the most pressing conservation needs, AArk developed a tool called the Conservation Needs Assessment (CNA), which is an objective method for identifying the species in greatest need to of protection.

As well as conducting training workshops and mentoring programmes, they provide hands-on learning opportunities and offer online courses for conservationists focusing on specific aspects of amphibian husbandry.

By supporting AArk’s main operating costs, Synchronicity Earth assists the organisation in developing training programmes to improve institutional and individual capacity, create communication strategies, and establish captive breeding programmes.