Project Anuran is an ecological research project concerned with the assessment and monitoring of the populations of anurans (frogs and toads) and other amphibians in the region around Las Cuevas, Chiquibul Forest Reserve, Belize (see map). In the light of the declining amphibian population problem the expansion of the aims of this project from an initial survey (in Phase I), to an ongoing monitoring program further phases promises to be beneficial to our overall understanding of the status and dynamical stability of anuran populations in relatively pristine habitats such as Las Cuevas. See Declining Amphibian Populations for further information on the ecological justification for this project.
Although the phenomenon of declining global amphibian populations is virtually undisputed, there remains a critical demand for quantitative work to assess the geographic and taxonomic variation in both the extent and nature of population declines. Through the intensive monitoring of an entire anuran fauna at the tropical site of Las Cuevas, Belize, Project Anuran aims to respond to this demand by providing information on the population dynamics, reproductive behaviour, and environmental requirements of all local species throughout each wet season. Our study serves to complement existing work by concentrating on both an area and species assemblage that remain largely unstudied.
Due to the spatial distribution of amphibian biologists much of the work on declining populations to date has been in North America, Europe and Australia (Houlahan et al. 2000). A consequence of this is that there is a desperate need for more studies from other areas of the world, and in particular from the highly diverse regions of the tropics (Wake 1991; Pearman et al. 1995; Wake 1998; Houlahan et al. 2000). In light of the concern surrounding amphibian declines in regions thought to be pristine from human influence (e.g. Crump et al. 1992), it is appropriate to consider the potential role of global factors in some of the most pristine environments remaining on Earth - those of tropical forests (Groombridge & Jenkins 2000). In the context of our work, the forests of the neotropics harbour a great diversity of amphibians (Lee 1996), and although a number of studies have been conducted at high altitude locations (e.g. Guyer 1990; Crump et al. 1992; Lips 1998), very little has been done in lowland regions (Wake 1998). Belize contains some of the most extensive and valuable stretches of forest in Central America (Furley 1998), retaining some 75% of its natural vegetation (Harcourt 1994), and as such providing a haven for much of the wildlife that has vanished from other neighbouring countries (Romney et al. 1959; Hartshorn et al. 1984). However, the ecology of many amphibian species in Belize remains largely unknown (P.J. Stafford, J.R. Meyer personal communication), a statement that is strengthened by the fact that 5 out of the total 33 species of anurans in Belize were discovered between 1990-1995 (Meyer & Foster 1996). Although no species in Belize are listed as vulnerable or endangered by the IUCN, this is no justification for an absence of monitoring programs. It is of unarguable importance that the study of a potentially global phenomenon is not restricted to areas where its symptoms are evident (e.g. Monteverde in Costa Rica). Furthermore, if global climate change is indeed a central factor behind amphibian declines, it is perhaps more important to consider those species that have so far shown no response to changes in temperature and rainfall - perhaps giving different and more ominous implications for their future conservation (McCarty 2001).
The DAPTF are presently co-ordinating a monitoring program entitled the Maya Forest Anuran Monitoring Project (MAYAMON), as part of a large, internationally funded biological monitoring project of the entire Selva Maya region (Carr & de Stoll 1999). The information collected by Project Anuran is fed into a regional picture collated by MAYAMON using data from studies throughout Belize, the southern states of Meixco, and the Péten region of Guatemala. Our study site of Las Cuevas is able to provide a good comparison against many more disturbed areas in other parts of the region. However, we feel that perhaps our most significant contribution to an increased understanding of the declining amphibian phenomenon, is due to the fact that undergraduate projects such as ours are able to offer a considerable amount of time, personnel, and resources to allow for an effective comprehensive monitoring program - a achievement that is beyond the reach of many professional ecologists for very practical reasons of time and logistics. Although ideally monitoring projects need to cover at least a few adult generations, both funding constraints and the urgency of the situation usually preclude this approach. It is therefore optimal to have a program which focuses on a whole community of amphibian species, over a number of breeding sites, and incorporates consideration of detailed abiotic and biotic environmental variables on a frequent basis.
