Archives for August 2015

Deforestation in the Rainforests

August 28, 2015 by Admin

I’m Natalia, a Sixth Form student who is currently doing a work placement at Froglife in London. I have first came into contact with Froglife by winning a competition by doing a video about rainforests and the threats that it faces. The rainforest functions lack economic value which explains why little to nothing is being done to give this issue the attention is deserves. In the video, I mentioned that it is home to over 10 million species of different plants and animals. This includes habitats of many species of reptiles and amphibians, who often hide in plain sight through camouflage.

However, now with the rapid increase of deforestation, they not only have to worry about their predators, as there are many more threats to their lives. Some of the very rear species close to extinction, such as the Golden Mantella, are being over-collected and illegally sold. Pet trade is the 4th largest commodity in the smuggling industry right after drugs, diamonds and weapons. This particular species are also under threat due to the deforestation destroying their natural habitats.
Deforestation also creates a domino effect on climate change and water cycles, creating very extreme weather conditions which not only destroy the habitats of the vulnerable animals but also take away their lives as they are not able to adapt to the new environment due to the changes happening rapidly. The Veragua Stubfoot Toad has suffered due to prolonged droughts, flooding, and harsh ultraviolet rays coming from the sun right after disappearing for 20 years and being re-discovered in the wild; it is still extremely close to extinction.
Another threat that reptiles and amphibians have to face are serious diseases which are to blame for the extinction of at least 170 species of frogs and toads. This has largely affected the Poison Dart Frogs who are sensitive to chytrid fungus. Nevertheless, another threat impacting their lives are humans, who force the destruction of their habitats caused by logging (often illegal) and farming. However, many people don’t realise that many species of frogs, just like the Poison Dart Frog, have toxins in their skin which often have a great medical value. Scientists use the poison to make painkillers. The ingredients in the poison act as perfect muscle relaxants, heart stimulants, as well as appetite suppressants.
The rainforest issue is worth the attention as whether we want it or not, it does have an impact on our lives to a certain extent even if we don’t realise it. A step in the right direction, no matter how small it is, will always have a positive impact on this particular issue. There are limitless ways of taking action towards deforestation, which will help millions of habitats, water cycles, oxygen production, as well as our own lives which will no longer be threatened by the impacts of disappearing rainforests.

Work Experience at Froglife

August 28, 2015 by Admin

My name is Natalia, and I spent the last week doing work experience at Froglife. This amazing opportunity allowed me to learn lots of interesting stuff about amphibians and reptiles. It was truly an adventure that taught me many things and allowed me to develop my skills.

Monday began with a clear introduction to the charity, and the team. I learnt about what Froglife does exactly, how it is run and what are the different roles within the charity. After the introduction I started doing a research about all of the different species of amphibians and reptiles. I found out about their life cycles, characteristics, habitats, breeding and unique habits that all of them have. When I finally got familiar with the different species, I began working on a Froglife Diary for their online shop. This included matching different photos of species with months, and writing very interesting facts about these animals. I was positively surprised about this day as I started developing great interest in this area, due to all of the research and learning about different species of reptiles and amphibians. It also made me realise how important they were and how important it is to protect them.

Tuesday was a day at the office on which I had to identify a national supermarket called Waitrose in local areas of the ponds and reserves. Waitrose is currently running a project called ‘’Community Matters’’. At the end of shopping at their local branch, customers are gives a token to place in a box to donate to a different cause. The more tokens the charity gets, the bigger the donation. Since its launch in 2008, the scheme has donated £14 million to local charities chosen by the customers. My job was to identify the different branches around the areas where the ponds are, and find out their details and contact information, to allow Froglife to contact Waitrose for a possibility to place the box with tokens for their charity. This allows the customers to donate to Froglife and improve the ponds in their local area. This allowed me to understand more about how the charity works with different brands and how the projects are being funded.

Wednesday was a very adventurous day, which gave me the opportunity to go out to Waterworks Nature Reserve to survey the area. On this day, I have learnt multiple things about the species and their lives. First of all, it was a chance for me to get familiar with the different habitats in which the species live, and what exactly do they look like in real life and how they are used by the animals. Nevertheless, I also learnt how to identify different species and how to tell the difference between a male and a female. Luckily, I got to practise this skill on Smooth Newts and identify their features as we saw a couple of them at the Nature Reserve. Both males and females have greenish-brown upperparts, with a whitish belly and cheeks and an orange streak on the belly, which is more pronounced in males. The body is covered in black spots, which are larger and more obvious in males than females. Females are often more dull in colour and patterning than males.

5- Pool Frog Tibor Sos I also got to learn more about frogs and see them in their own natural habitats. I learnt the difference between a Pool Frog and Common Frog. Both of these species are fairly similar however the Pool Frog that I was lucky to see is easier to identify as they often have a light yellow stripe at the back. Whereas Common Frogs usually have dark patches behind their eyes and blotches of dark striping on the back legs. I was also incredibly lucky to see a Grass Snake in its habitat. This day was full of adventures and learning, and gave me the opportunity to see the species that I have previously researched, in their natural habitats. I also learnt about surveying and its importance.

After coming back to the office, I wrote a blog post about different species of amphibians and reptiles that live in the rainforest, linking back to a video that I have made to win the work experience. This allowed me to develop further understanding about the rainforest and how the species and habitats are different from those that we can find in the UK. Many of the species living in the rainforest are under threat due to climate change, deforestation, as well as illegal pet trade. This raised my awareness and gave me a chance to share my experiences and research, by writing a blog post about the importance of rainforest conservation for the Froglife website.

Friday was a day for me to say goodbye to the incredible team that I worked with, and finish off any outstanding work from the week. Overall I am incredibly grateful for this opportunity that was given to me. I got to learn a lot about amphibians and reptiles and developed a great interest which got me thinking about what I want to do in the future. I also developed many new skills, met a lot of positive people, and was happy about the fact that it gave me the chance to work at the office and see the ‘back’ side of things, as well as go out to natural habitats and work with the animals.

Froglife works with the University of Hull to tackle the difficulties of evaluating the ‘soft outcomes’ of its work.

August 28, 2015 by Admin

kathy2 I am very fortunate to be the CEO of an amazing charity called Froglife. The reason why I say that I am fortunate and that this is an amazing charity is that I work with a bunch of incredibly enthusiastic, intelligent and fun people who are passionate about conserving the UKs amphibian and reptile species and the habitats that they rely on. Froglife is distinctive within the wildlife conservation sector in that it uses unique techniques for engaging people into wildlife conservation. We are particularly keen to reach out to those communities who for a wide range of reasons are often missing out on enjoying the natural world.

Through providing engaging activities we can get lots of people out appreciating nature whilst also doing something positive to help conserve it. Our work is very much ‘on the ground’ creating and restoring vital wildlife sites. Over the past four years Froglife has the astonishing record of improving 713 wildlife sites, this has been achieved with the help of 2,844 volunteers.

However we appreciate that not everyone wants to or can get involved in such physical activities and we therefore also draw heavily on the creative arts to engage and involve people. Our community engagement programme includes creating murals in unattractive under-passes or on drab buildings; Swimming with Dragons converts pools into ponds; Life under the Surface exhibitions created by school children provide people with the opportunity to explore the inside of a pond whilst Mapestry is a collection of community created tapestries depicting heritage items in a specific area. Schools can become a Froglife Leapfrog School this provides the children with the opportunity to explore wild areas and wildlife without leaving their school grounds.

The importance to people’s health and mental wellbeing of being outdoors and working with nature is well documented and as a charity we want to ensure that we create more high quality green spaces for all of society to enjoy. To do that it is important for us to have tangible evidence of the value that the natural world can bring. Through working with Professor Graham Scott and colleagues from the Faculty of Education and The Faculty of Science and Engineering at Hull University we will be in a much stronger position to provide the evidence that is needed of the value of the natural world to wildlife and people.

For more information about our work and impact visit http://www.froglife.org/learning-zone/

University collaboration helps charity demonstrate its success

August 26, 2015 by Admin

University of Hull academics from the Faculty of Education and The Faculty of Science and Engineering have come together to assist national conservation charity Froglife to demonstrate the difference its fieldwork makes.

DSC_0411 library Larkin toad and researchers
Froglife has a long and successful track record of helping children and young people gain confidence and develop a range of social skills through learning about conservation, nature and the environment. The children, many of whom come from disadvantaged backgrounds, are often referred to the charity from schools and social services who recognise the impact that learning and playing in the outdoors can offer them. However, it is not always easy to communicate this success.

Ally Dunhill, Associate Dean Learning and Teaching in the Faculty of Education said: “We are taking an inter-disciplinary approach to helping Froglife find a robust way of being able to demonstrate the positive impact their work is having on the learning and development of children and young people. We are working on new ways to collect and evaluate data as well as tracking the impact working with Froglife has on the children’s attitudes towards conservation and environmental issues over time.

“I have spent many years researching the benefits to children of learning in the outdoors and promoting Forest Schools and other outdoor learning opportunities and I’m delighted to work with Froglife so that more children can gain from what they offer.”

Prof Graham Scott, Associate Dean Learning and Teaching in the Faculty of Science and Engineering added: “Field-based learning has many advantages for the development of a range of skills. At the University of Hull we place great emphasis on the value of field work for our own students and our trainee teachers. As a biologist and active researcher, it is an area I am particularly keen to explore further.

“The outcome of the project will benefit all the partners. Froglife will be in a better place to be able to demonstrate to future funders and other parties, the value of their work and as academic researchers, we are gaining valuable insight into field-based learning.”

Katy Wormald, CEO of Froglife said: “Policy makers are starting to understand the importance to people’s health and mental wellbeing of being outdoors and working with nature. As a wildlife conservation charity we want to ensure that we create more high quality green spaces for people to enjoy. To do that it is important to be able to have tangible evidence of the value that this can bring. By working with the University of Hull we will be in a much stronger position to provide the evidence that funders, partners and other third parties are looking for.”

Inspired by Nature: Space to Connect and Grow

August 26, 2015 by Admin

^{Inspired by Nature is a themed Croak to entertain you with some of our favourite artwork based on nature and the outdoors. We hope it will stimulate you to get creative and produce something yourself. If you do and would like to share them with us, please post them on our Facebook page, Twitter account, or email us at info@froglife.org}

^{This months feature has been written by Rebecca Neal our Conservation Youth Worker on the Peterborough Green Pathways project, funded by BBC Children in Need.}

Over the summer term Froglife’s Green Pathways project worked with Voyager Academy students at the lovely Olive Branch Community Gardens located in a deprived area of Peterborough. This garden is such a fantastic place for young people; its gives them an opportunity to learn, contribute to their community and is somewhere they can simply relax and let off some steam. Over the weeks we spent there we hunted for frogs, harvested veggies, watered, toasted marshmallows and hunted for more frogs (this never gets boring). For the last few sessions, we invited local poet Keely Mills along to show us how to put words together in a creative way. She wrote four poems, some of which were with help from the young people. Here is the one she wrote about attending her first session with us. The rest will follow in future Inspired by Nature’s

A Space to Connect and Grow

Along a narrow alleyway, fenced by white brick.

In through the gate and wood chip driveways.

I shut the door on the concrete faces.

Lock the madness behind me and out of me.

I take the handbag off my chest.

I close the screen of the I-phone five.

With its apps that count down to Christmas.

My boss’s face and email are a ghost now.

Nature’s love is waiting for me.

I am pleased that we are making a fire,

More pleased to know we will cook jacket potatoes.

I am surrounded by strawberries.

I am immersed in June’s undecided weather.

Listening to the best things that have happened to people,

I am really content to hear that a dragon has got better.

Happier still when I learn that a friend survived.

As wood is chopped and the oven is being stoked.

I take a walk with a camera.

I feel the poppies petals, shapely like harem skirts.

They dance in red with whirly-gig notes.

These flouncy sirens no longer shy in pale green pin heads.

Already they have stripped their petticoats as if receiving a sailor on shore leave.

Their petals pinched pink as though they had been grabbed and kissed.

I stand in front of their chorus, their red magic has worked.

I dare not touch their flowers for remembrances sake.

Just the memory of my hand casting their sheets of colour,

to the ground as if the grass was a newly married bride.

Sneaky chives catch the edge of my toe nails.

Lavender that never-ending dream of a herb,

grabs my nose and performs upon it as if it were a perfume

counter girl in John Lewis.

Showing of its smells in deep strands of blueberry yoghurt.

Each one a sampler that sprays itself, I cannot

stop from testing all its strands by pulling its scent,

through my fingers.

Fennel is the first, iconic fractals in childhood sweets, spreading to the sky.

Whilst sage refuses to be a pot plant, rather a tyrant that defends its battalion.

Remaining stead fast from Spring to Winter.

I rest a time, sitting amongst the throne of berries that seats a 100 bees.

Whose royalty is hard working and mesmerising.

I linger my ears on their gentle hum as they fill their back legs with busy nectar.

These regal creatures are not the only kind in this Eden.

I take part in the unveiling of a frog from under a pot.

It leaps from hands and quickly we fly it to a nearby pond.

The thought of the cold water makes me creep towards kelly kettle.

Hot chocolate in the open air.

Apollo’s golden chariot is above the houses at the edge of this heavenly patch.

Bluebirds are its cheerleaders, swiping at the sky in an ethereal and noisy display.

Within my breath that is now as delicate as sweet peas.

I feel better.

I can get through each fabricated prospect the world chucks at me.

By Keely Mills June 2015

Inspired by exploring Olive Branch Community Gardens with Voyager Academy Students taking part in Froglife’s Green Pathways project.

Croaking Science: Citizen science and monitoring wildlife heath

August 26, 2015 by Admin

Citizen scientists have been an essential part of our understanding of the natural world for hundreds of years but their contribution and importance have only been formalised and widely recognised in the last decades. Such unpaid members of the public, ranging from experts to beginners, can collect a great diversity of biological data, often in the form of species records in a variety of habitats. In addition, citizen science can be employed to answer complex biological questions and, provided that adequate measures are incorporated in the design, it can do so in a robust and cheap way while covering a very large spatial scale. The potential to cover huge areas of land, even at continental scale, over a long period of time and including private land which is otherwise difficult to access, is one of the main advantages of incorporating citizen science projects in biological monitoring. However, creating a functional framework for citizen science is not straightforward and recruiting and maintaining high volunteer engagement can be equally complicated. In this context, a new review published this month is aiming to evaluate the potential for citizen science to be incorporated for wildlife disease surveillance, including reviewing the benefits for the scientists, for participating members of the public and for wildlife species alike, as well as the logistical and financial implications and the limitations.

Newt searching, RT Feb10

Diseases have always represented one of the major factors driving the dynamics of animal and plant populations, but in recent years this has become especially relevant given that the fast pace of globalisation is bringing together organisms that have been separated by millions of years and creating the conditions for catastrophic disease outbreaks, such as the much-discussed chytrid fungus devastating amphibian populations on four continents. Similarly, in the 1990s Froglife and the Institute of Zoology in London have used citizen science in the form of reports from members of the public, to understand, identify and discuss the presence of a new amphibian disease, called ranavirosis, that was only emerging then and was impacting strongly common frog populations in large parts of England. The virus had most likely been brought to the UK and mainland Europe by the pet trade with fish or the trade with aquatic ornamental plants. Although much remains unclear, primarily how to successfully treat the disease, we now know that moving frogspawn and tadpoles between ponds could accelerate the spread of the disease and that the presence of fish species, such as goldfish, in garden ponds, is likely to exacerbate the severity of the disease in amphibians (North et all, 2015). Given that the data was collected in private garden ponds it is very likely that without the power of citizen science it would have remained hidden for much longer. All of this was changed and made possible using the data collected by members of the public and reported to Froglife.

The Frog Mortality project has now been continued with the Garden Wildlife Health project and is aiming to continue to use both opportunistic and standardised garden surveys to monitor the health of wildlife species, not just amphibians but also reptiles, mammals such as hedgehogs and birds. If you haven’t yet participated in this project, this is your chance to record incidents in your local wildlife heaven, the urban garden, and in this way become a citizen scientist and contribute to a much greater understanding of biological questions and help the conservation of these wildlife species.

References and further reading:

North AC, Hodgson DJ, Price SJ, Griffiths AGF (2015) Anthropogenic and Ecological Drivers of Amphibian Disease (Ranavirosis). PLoS ONE 10(6): e0127037. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0127037

Lawson B, Petrovan SO, Cunningham AA (2015) Citizen Science and Wildlife Disease Surveillance. Ecohealth, DOI: 10.1007/s10393-015-1054-z

Archives for August 2015

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