FrogLog 103 PDF here - Amphibian Specialist Group

Editorial
FrogLog
It has been an exciting couple of months for the ASG since the last edition
of FrogLog. We have been communicating extensively with our Regional
Groups to identify Chairs that will act as ASG focal points for the next quadrennium
(four year working period for the IUCN). Almost all groups now have
Chairs in place and discussions have begun to identify priorities for each group.
As this edition focuses on Sub-Saharan Africa we would like to highlight the new
and continuing Chairs from this region. Mark-Oliver Rödel, who served during
the last quadrennium, will be continuing to drive forward ASG activities in West
Africa. For East Africa, David Moyer will be stepping down and in his place Co-
Chairs Victor Wasonga and Simon Loader will be leading the efforts. For Southern
Africa, Alan Channing will be handing over to John Measey, and in Madagascar
Franco Andreone will be continuing in his Co-Chair role; however, Herilala Randriamahazo
will be passing his responsibilities onto the former ASG Madagascar
Executive Secretariat Nirhy Rabibisoa. The experience and energy that comes with
this team is a great sign of the potential for amphibian conservation in Africa, and
we very much look forward to working with everyone in the region. As you will see
from the articles included in this edition, there are already many fantastic initiatives
in place and plenty of opportunity for further partnerships and investments.
We would like to take this opportunity to thank all of those who supported the ASG
during the 2009-2012 quadrennium and welcome all the new Chairs for what we
hope will be a very productive quadrennium.
In its capacity as a network the ASG strives to reach out to people and organizations
working with amphibians to help build partnerships and share information.
We are trying to do this in a number of ways, with the lead often coming from
our members rather than the Executive Committee. The Amphibian Conservation
special edition of Alytes (see page 9) is a great example of the type of material that
can be produced through such collaborations. We encourage our members to read
this edition to get a good sense of some current thinking within the community
and hope it leads to constructive and lively debate. The Conservation Evidence
initiative that is being run by the University of Cambridge is another great example
of how we can come together as a community to share information to further amphibian
conservation (please read the article on page 4 to find out how you can get
involved in this ASG supported initiative).
As we move forward we will be sharing with you a range of different ideas and
projects. How the ASG approaches these will be in direct response to member involvement.
The ASG is not just a collection of people in appointed positions but
a community, and as the Executive Committee we are here to help you meet your
priorities as members.
The ASG Executive Committee
ASG EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE
James P. Collins
ASG Co-Chair
Claude Gascon
ASG Co-Chair
Phillip J. Bishop
ASG Deputy Chair
Robin D. Moore
ASG Program Officer
James P. Lewis
ASG Program Coordinator
Ariadne Angulo
Amphibian Red List Focal Point
FROGLOG EDITORIAL BOARD
Editor-in-chief
James P. Lewis
Editors
Craig Hassapakis
James P. Collins
Claude Gascon
Phillip J. Bishop
Robin D. Moore
Editorial Intern
Regina Fong
Editorial Office
Conservation International
2011 Crystal Drive, Suite 500,
Arlington, VA 22202 USA.
froglog@amphibians.org
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FrogLog 20 (4) | Issue number 103 (July 2012) | 3