Yo Protejo Mis Ranitas: Engaging Private Landowners in Amphibian Conservation Across Southern Chile

As in many regions of the world, amphibian populations in Chile continue to be affected by habitat loss and degradation, climate change, chytridiomycosis and other threats. These pressures are particularly relevant in the Austral temperate forests of southern Chile, where high amphibian endemism overlaps with intense land-use change, forest fragmentation, rural subdivision, infrastructure development and the expansion of productive activities (1,2).

Private land conservation is increasingly recognised as a complement to public protected areas and as a mechanism for contributing to the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework target to conserve at least 30% of terrestrial, inland water, coastal and marine areas by 2030. In Chile, the Derecho Real de Conservación — a legal instrument equivalent to a conservation easement — allows private landowners to establish long-term conservation obligations attached to a property (3). However, private land conservation also depends on voluntary participation, landowner motivation, monitoring capacity and management practices that maintain habitat quality over time.

In this context, ONG Ranita de Darwin launched Yo Protejo Mis Ranitas in 2020: a private land conservation programme focused on native amphibians and their habitats in La Araucanía, Los Ríos and Los Lagos regions. Although amphibian-focused private land conservation remains relatively underdocumented, partnerships between landowners and conservationists have been used in other contexts to protect threatened species and their habitats, showing the wider relevance of this approach (4). Such partnerships are particularly relevant for amphibians because strategically located small conservation areas can contribute substantially to protected-area networks when they capture restricted-range species, important breeding sites or other key habitat features (5). Yo Protejo Mis Ranitas translates landowner interest in conservation into structured agreements, monitoring, and habitat protection for threatened amphibians.

Programme approach and outcomes

Yo Protejo Mis Ranitas combines conservation agreements and landowner engagement with biological surveys, cartography, accreditation seals, signage and follow-up monitoring. During the initial assessment of a property, we identify amphibian species and relevant habitat features, discuss current and potential land-management practices with landowners, and co-develop conservation commitments according to the property's characteristics and the level of involvement agreed with the owner.

The programme uses three agreement types. Frog Friendly Land (Propiedad Amigable con las Ranitas) is a formal, non-legally binding agreement in which the landowner adopts amphibian-friendly habitat protection measures and undertakes self-monitoring and reporting. Frog Refuge (Refugio de Ranitas) is also non-legally binding, but includes annual monitoring by ONG Ranita de Darwin. Frog Sanctuary (Santuario de Ranitas) is the highest level of protection and is based on a Derecho Real de Conservación, which binds future landowners and heirs (6,7). This tiered structure allows landowners to participate according to their capacity and conservation objectives, while creating a pathway toward stronger and more permanent commitments.

Because the programme relies on voluntary participation, understanding landowner motivations is essential. A baseline assessment of 32 participating landowners showed generally positive attitudes toward amphibians and strong conservation values, but also an expectation that the programme would increase their understanding of amphibians and their habitats (8). This motivation profile may not apply to all landowners in areas of high amphibian conservation value: in a nearby area where Barrio's Frog occurs, small landowners were more likely to link their willingness to conserve with economic incentives and local development needs (9). This contrast is relevant because we designed Yo Protejo Mis Ranitas to engage landowners with an existing interest in conservation, which we considered a cost-effective approach for our voluntary programme. Organisations seeking to protect specific amphibian populations in areas where conservation is not the primary motivation may require different engagement strategies or incentive structures.

As of 2026, the programme includes 25 conservation agreements protecting 2,293 ha of native forest, wetlands, streams and associated amphibian habitats. Surveys within these properties have recorded 14 native amphibian species, including Olive Spiny-chest Frog (Alsodes verrucosus), Barrio's Frog (Insuetophrynus acarpicus), and Darwin's Frog (Rhinoderma darwinii). The following examples show how the programme links private land agreements with legal protection, species monitoring, and responses to emerging conservation threats.

Parque Valle Los Ulmos: legal protection through a Frog Sanctuary

Parque Valle Los Ulmos, located at the foot of Volcán Calbuco in the Los Lagos Region, became the first Frog Sanctuary in Chile. After more than two years of collaboration among the property owners, Fundación Tierra Austral and ONG Ranita de Darwin, the site was protected through a Derecho Real de Conservación. The Frog Sanctuary covers 368 ha and protects native temperate forest and stream ecosystems that are important for the Olive Spiny-chest Frog and other native amphibians; it also represents the third known locality for this Endangered species.

This example shows how a relatively small but strategically located conservation area can protect key habitat features for threatened amphibians when supported by long-term management commitments (5).

Aldea del Viento: private land conservation and Barrio's Frog

At the Frog Refuge Aldea del Viento, near Valdivia in the Los Ríos Region, collaboration between the landowner and Cooperativa Calahuala led to the discovery of the eighth known locality for Barrio's Frog (10). Barrio's Frog is one of Chile's most threatened amphibians and one of the most evolutionarily distinctive amphibians on the planet. Aldea del Viento is also one of only three known localities for the species occurring within a protected area (10).

Because the natural history and ecology of Barrio's Frog remain poorly known (10), long-term amphibian and habitat monitoring is central to the agreement. Building on habitat assessments that showed optimal conditions for Barrio's Frog in the high-gradient stream where the species occurs (10), we are now generating information on demography, spatial ecology, habitat use and potential threats. Preliminary data collected over three years indicate that Aldea del Viento supports an abundant population, highlighting the value of the site for conservation management.

Butamanga: detecting populations in areas of development pressure

In 2025, in collaboration with the landowner, we documented a new population of Darwin's Frog at the Frog Refuge Butamanga, on the northern coast of Chiloé Island (11,12). This record is important because known populations of Darwin's Frog are scarce in this area, where habitat loss and degradation are intense. However, the population overlaps with the approved route of an electricity transmission line that will cross the Frog Refuge. The project's environmental impact assessment did not detect Darwin's Frog and therefore did not include specific mitigation measures for it.

In collaboration with the Chilean environmental law organisation ONG Fima, we are pursuing formal legal avenues to ensure that this new information is considered and that appropriate safeguards are evaluated. This case illustrates that private land conservation can identify priority populations, but its effectiveness also depends on planning, environmental assessment and legal processes beyond the direct control of landowners and conservation organisations.

Learning and adapting for long-term impact

After five years, Yo Protejo Mis Ranitas has expanded its network and generated conservation outcomes, but structured re-evaluation is needed to strengthen its long-term impact. In the next phase, we plan to assess how management practices, motivations, expectations, perceived barriers and amphibian-related knowledge have changed among landowners who have participated for five years. These findings will help us refine agreements, improve monitoring, strengthen technical guidance and guide the incorporation of new participants in priority areas.

Some operational challenges are already clear. Despite our efforts to increase engagement in self-monitoring under the Frog Friendly Land agreement type, reporting rates remain extremely low, raising questions about how effective and consistent this component can be within our voluntary programme. Demand also exceeds our current capacity: many additional landowners have expressed interest in joining the programme, but expansion must remain strategic if we are to maintain monitoring quality and prioritise properties with high conservation value, threatened amphibian records, habitat connectivity or potential for long-term legal protection.

This capacity challenge is particularly relevant for small conservation NGOs such as ONG Ranita de Darwin, for which long-term funding is rarely stable. Although our methodological priorities are clear, and we have the technical capacity, trust and networks needed to move the project forward, implementation now depends on securing new and more stable funding. This is especially challenging in an uncertain global context, in which biodiversity finance remains far below estimated needs (13), and amphibian conservation may not be a priority for many funders (4).

Yo Protejo Mis Ranitas provides a practical example of how amphibian conservation can be implemented through private land partnerships. More broadly, our experience demonstrates that private land conservation can generate value beyond habitat protection alone by identifying undocumented populations, supporting monitoring of threatened species, improving landowner knowledge and creating a framework for addressing site-specific threats. By making amphibian conservation visible, practical and locally grounded, initiatives such as Yo Protejo Mis Ranitas can also inspire other landowners and help mobilise wider support for amphibian conservation.

Acknowledgements

We thank all participating landowners for their commitment and trust, and all field volunteers and institutional partners who have supported Yo Protejo Mis Ranitas. We are also grateful to our team members Bastián Santana and Claudia Faure, and to Fundación Tierra Austral, Cooperativa Calahuala, ONG Fima, Leipzig Zoo, ZSL, Universidad Andrés Bello and The Weeden Foundation for their support and collaboration.

References

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