ONG Ranita de Darwin Joins the Amphibian Survival Alliance for the Conservation of Chile's Amphibians

We are pleased to announce that our organisation, ONG Ranita de Darwin, has joined the Amphibian Survival Alliance (ASA) as a partner organisation. This partnership aligns with our purpose of protecting globally distinctive amphibians and ecosystems, and with ASA's goal of consolidating effective conservation actions to mitigate and prevent amphibian declines globally.

Established in 2014 and formally constituted as a non-profit in 2015, ONG Ranita de Darwin is Chile's first organisation dedicated entirely to the conservation, research, and public outreach of the country's amphibians and their habitats. Our name refers to the Southern Darwin's Frog (Rhinoderma darwinii), a species endemic to the temperate forests of southern Chile and Argentina, notable for its paternal care: the male carries developing tadpoles inside his vocal sac until they complete metamorphosis and are released as froglets (1). The name reflects our commitment to the long-term protection of Chile's amphibians, a group that is both exceptionally diverse and under severe threat.

Our work is guided by four core principles: rigorous science applied directly to conservation; genuine collaboration with communities, researchers, organisations, and government bodies; an ethical and transparent approach that builds trust and lasting relationships; and measurable, long-term impact.

Chile's amphibians and their threats

Chile holds one of the highest rates of amphibian endemism in the world, yet the majority of its endemic species are threatened and restricted to very small areas (2). Some of the amphibian species we focus our attention on, including the Southern Darwin's frog and Barrio's frog (Insuetophrynus acarpicus), are EDGE species—Evolutionarily Distinct and Globally Endangered—meaning they form an irreplaceable part of Earth's natural heritage. At the same time, the area inhabited by these species, central-southern Chile, has been identified as the zone at greatest risk from climate change, where species are predicted to face the greatest difficulty persisting within their current distributions (3,4). Chile's National Biodiversity Strategy 2025–2030 describes the country's terrestrial and freshwater ecosystems as threatened, subject to anthropogenic pressures, or highly vulnerable to climate change (5). On 7 May 2026, Chile reached its Ecological Overshoot Day, the first Latin American country to do so in 2026, meaning that from that date national demand for natural resources has exceeded the regenerative capacity of its ecosystems for the entire year (6). We work from this context: a country of exceptional amphibian endemism, rapidly changing ecosystems, and an urgent opportunity to strengthen the science, partnerships, and conservation capacity needed to secure a future for Chile's amphibians.

Our Programmes

Long-term population monitoring

Since 2014, we have maintained with local partners a long-term monitoring programme across multiple local populations of the Southern Darwin's Frog, covering the full distribution range of the species (7). The programme generates demographic and population trend data that inform conservation management decisions and contributes to the broader evidence base for the species (1). Long-term datasets of this kind are rare for amphibian species in South America, and we regard this continuity as one of our most important contributions to amphibian research and conservation.

Disease ecology: EMERGE Project

Chytridiomycosis, caused by Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis (Bd), is one of the worst infectious diseases ever recorded in vertebrates and a primary driver of amphibian declines and extinctions worldwide. Through our EMERGE Project, we study the spatial and temporal dynamics of Bd infection across several co-occurring amphibian species from the Austral temperate forest, including the Southern Darwin's Frog, the Rosy Ground Frog (Eupsophus roseus), and the Grey Wood Frog (Batrachyla leptopus) (8,9). This ongoing collaborative research project also aims to test the effectiveness of an in situ mitigation measure against chytridiomycosis—specifically, physical exclusions to limit the contact with potential Bd reservoirs—in wild populations of the Southern Darwin's Frog. In collaboration with Fundación Parque Tantauco, the landowners of Tantauco Park, we are testing this in situ mitigation approach after Bd caused the collapse of Darwin's frog populations in this species' stronghold (9,10).

Private land conservation: Yo Protejo Mis Ranitas

A significant proportion of amphibian habitat in southern Chile falls outside formal protected areas and is held by private landowners. Through our land conservation programme Yo Protejo Mis Ranitas (I protect my frogs), we build voluntary partnerships with landowners to work jointly towards the conservation of native forests, wetlands, and streams that support amphibian populations (11). These ecosystems also provide critical services to local communities, including water regulation, carbon storage, and flood mitigation. The programme has demonstrated that private landowners can be effective long-term conservation partners when relationships are built on mutual trust and shared objectives (11).

National policy: Plan RECOGE for Darwin's frogs

We form part of the governance group for the Plan RECOGE (Recovery, Conservation and Species Management Plan) for Darwin's Frogs, a species conservation action plan led by Chile's Ministry of the Environment (12). This 70-page national recovery plan consolidates existing knowledge on Darwin's frogs (R. darwinii and R. rufum) and establishes concrete actions with defined timelines, measurable outcomes, and designated responsible parties, with the aim of reducing the extinction risk of both species. It is the first Plan RECOGE in Chile to focus on amphibians and addresses key threats including wildfires, chytridiomycosis, habitat loss and degradation, and invasive species. Its approval represents a significant policy milestone for amphibian conservation in Chile. We have also collaborated in the development and implementation of the Binational (Chile–Argentina) Conservation Strategy for Darwin's Frogs (1).

Education and outreach for amphibian conservation

We also carry out education and outreach activities and produce audiovisual materials for both scientific and general audiences (13). We consider public engagement to be an integral component of amphibian conservation (14). We reach hundreds of thousands of people each year through our social media channels and in-person activities, with the aim of mobilising support for amphibian conservation. We are also committed to building conservation capacity among practitioners, including park rangers working in public and private protected areas in Chile.

Our partnership with ASA

We join ASA from a geographically remote and climatically vulnerable corner of the Southern Hemisphere, a region characterised by high endemism, accelerating habitat loss, and the compounding pressures of climate change. Being part of ASA's collaborative network gives us access to global expertise, shared resources, and a platform to connect Chile's amphibian conservation challenges with the broader international effort to halt amphibian declines.

We are grateful for the opportunity to contribute our field experience, long-term datasets, and regional knowledge to this partnership, and we look forward to working with ASA members across research, policy, and practice.

Acknowledgements

We are grateful to our funders, collaborators, volunteers, landowners, institutions and members of the public who have supported our programmes since 2014. We are especially thankful to: ZSL (Zoological Society of London), Leipzig Zoo, Universidad Andrés Bello, The Rufford Foundation, Wild Lama, Filantropía Cortés Solari, Fundación Parque Tantauco, Fundación Huilo Huilo, and the Amphibian Specialist Group (ASG–IUCN).

References

1. Valenzuela-Sánchez, A. et al. Estrategia Binacional de Conservación de Las Ranitas de Darwin. Segunda Edición. (2026).
2. Soto-Azat, C. et al. ASG Chile leads update of the extinction risk of Chilean amphibians for the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. FrogLog vol. 23, 6–7 (2015).
3. Eyzaguirre, S. & Gamarra, C. Índice de Riesgo al Cambio Climático (2026).
4. Ministerio del Medio Ambiente de Chile, Centro de Ciencia del Clima y la Resiliencia (CR)2, & Centro de Cambio Global UC. Atlas de Riesgos Climáticos para Chile (2020).
5. Ministerio del Medio Ambiente de Chile. Actualización Estrategia Nacional de Biodiversidad 2025–2030 (2025).
6. Global Footprint Network. Country Overshoot Days 2026. Earth Overshoot Day (2026).
7. ONG Ranita de Darwin. Monitoreo a largo plazo de poblaciones de ranita de Darwin (Rhinoderma darwinii) (2026).
8. ONG Ranita de Darwin. Proyecto EMERGE: estudio metapoblacional de ranas del bosque templado austral y gestión epidemiológica (2026).
9. Valenzuela-Sánchez, A. et al. Localized transmission of an aquatic pathogen drives hidden epidemics and population collapse in a terrestrial host. Nature Ecology & Evolution 10, 308–317 (2026).
10. Valenzuela-Sánchez, A. et al. A leap of hope: the story behind the huge efforts being made to rescue the tiny Southern Darwin's frog. Zooquaria 16–17 (2025).
11. Valenzuela-Sánchez, A. et al. Partnerships between private landowners and conservationists to protect one of the most evolutionarily distinct amphibians. Oryx 59, 50–53 (2025).
12. Ministerio del Medio Ambiente de Chile. Ranita de Darwin ya tiene protección efectiva (2026).
13. ONG Ranita de Darwin. Multimedia (2026).
14. Valenzuela-Sánchez, A. et al. Communications and education for amphibian conservation. In Amphibian Conservation Action Plan: A Status Review and Roadmap for Global Amphibian Conservation (IUCN SSC Occasional Paper, Gland, Switzerland, 2024).