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A fungus is killing amphibians in Panama and naturalists are doing frog triage. The problem is that a fungus, the chytrid fungus, is killing amphibians at mid and high altitudes world wide. In Panama, institutions such as the Amphibian Ark and the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute are setting up and running programs to save amphibians, including Panama frogs, from extinction. The problem is that there are a lot of frog species and only so much space, manpower, money, and time.

Panama Frog Triage

Triage is the battlefield term that describes how to treat casualties. Those too far gone to help are given comfort measures only and those with minor injuries need to wait. Those who can be helped and who will die without help go to the front of the line. Naturalists are assessing the risk to various frog species and deciding which species to try to save.

The Nature of the Panama Frog Triage Problem

According to press reports, “Of approximately 6,000 amphibian species in the world, about one third are classified as threatened or endangered.” In addition to the threat of a new fungus, “Amphibians also face habitat destruction as forests and wetlands are developed and polluted by agricultural chemicals. In Panama, highland frog populations west of the [Panama] Canal have declined at an alarming rate.”

The Amphibian Ark project is a result of a meeting of the International Union for the Conservation of Nature in 2005 in Washington, D.C. The Amphibian Ark is a project dedicated to removing a small sample of frogs or other amphibians from their environment and sustaining a population in captivity. Although captive breeding programs will sustain populations while an answer to the fungus problem is sought these programs cost a lot of money and are a drain on manpower.

Thus, a meeting in Panama City in November of 2008 was hosted by the Amphibian Ark Project, the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute and Summit Municipal Park. The topic of discussion was which amphibian species in Panama are most endangered and which should be the focus of captive breeding efforts.

Experts have estimated that it will cost millions of dollars to save just a few hundred species. Thus the powers that be are using the best available information to determine which species are most at risk and which can be helped by a captive breeding program.

Panama and Nature

Panama is a unique country in the tropics. Panama has first world services and infrastructure side by side with untouched nature. Panama’s economy is growing as fast as that of China. Panama is the site of the Panama Canal where 5% of word shipping passes. An ongoing problem to be dealt with in Panama is the preservation of nature while creating jobs, reducing poverty, and moving forward in the 21st century.

The news in Panama frequently makes reference to environmental concerns regarding wind farms and hydroelectric projects that Panama has undertaken to reduce its dependence of foreign oil. Inflation in Panama has threatened to undo years of poverty reduction so these projects are important. It is a credit to Panama that its growth and development is tempered with an eye on its natural resources, including those endangered frogs.