Amphibian Population Management Advisory Group

The goal of the Amphibian Population Management Advisory Group is to guide those involved in managing amphibian populations in zoos and aquariums, so that we will have healthy, sustainable populations to reintroduce back into the wild in the future.

We consist of specialists in population biology, amphibian husbandry, conservation biology, species prioritization, software development, group management, and data entry. And we represent institutions and organizations from all over the world – Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA), AZA Population Management Center (PMC), Conservation Planning Specialist Group of the IUCN Species Survival Commission (CBSG), European Association of Zoos and Aquariums (EAZA), Zoo and Aquarium Association (Australasia), World Association of Zoos and Aquariums (WAZA), and many more.

Our group formed in 2007, when we met to create the Amphibian Population Management Guidelines (en Español – Lineamientos para el Manejo de Poblaciones de Anfibios). This document contains advice on data, genetic, and demographic management as well as population management recommendations for the number of founders, target size, speed at which to grow the population, and which individuals to breed when starting a population. This resource is now used throughout the world to start and maintain new amphibian populations in zoos and aquariums until they can be reintroduced back into their native habitats.  It is available in both English and Spanish.

Currently, we are working on amphibian data entry conventions and group management guidelines.  Amphibian data can be challenging to track due to various life stages, large clutch sizes, and often group management.  We are creating data conventions to make amphibian data entry consistent because it is the foundation for effective population management.  And group management has been used for herds, fish, colonial birds, and other animals, so we would like to apply this to amphibians as well.

For more information, please contact either of these Co-Chairs of the Amphibian Population Management Committee:

• Kristin Leus, CBSG Programme Officer, Copenhagen Zoo, European Association of Zoos and Aquariums, kristin@cbsgeurope.eu
• Kristine Schad, Director, Population Management Center, Lincoln Park Zoo, kschad@lpzoo.org