Nature Conservancy Magazine: Autumn 2007 - Flora & Fauna: Red-Eyed Tree Frog

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The Nature Conservancy in
Costa Rica
Costa Rica is known as a leader of the environmental movement and a pioneer of ecotourism in Central America.

The Nature Conservancy is working with Costa Rica's leading environmental organizations to protect the country's rich natural heritage.

Red-Eyed Tree Frog: Rainforest Ambassador

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With amphibians facing population crashes around the world, the red-eyed tree frog has become a poster species for rainforest conservation.

Every second, a slice of rainforest the size of a football field is destroyed. More than 31 million football fields of rainforest are sacrificed to unsustainable agriculture, ranching and mining every year, and tropical-dwelling members of class Amphibia are starting to show signs of distress. With population crashes and localized extinctions occurring all over the globe, amphibians are the proverbial canaries in an ever-shrinking coal mine—their susceptibility to habitat loss, pollution, UV exposure, non-native species, disease and climate change forecasts the fate of their ecosystems.

The red-eyed tree frog, however, is still faring well. One redoubt is Corcovado National Park on Osa Peninsula, a crooked finger of land jutting out of the southwestern corner of Costa Rica. The Nature Conservancy, in partnership with the Costa Rican government, established the more-than-100,000-acre park in 1975. Today, the Conservancy is developing park management plans to further protect the lush primary rainforests on the western edge of the peninsula, which provide sanctuary for the red-eyed tree frog.

Launch an interactive photo slideshow featuring the red-eyed tree frog!