In a paper published today in PLoS ONE, scientists have identified for the first time areas of the world containing the highest concentrations of EDGE species.

Scientists mapped the distribution of the top 5% of EDGE mammals, highlighting regions of the world containing high numbers of exceptionally unique and threatened species, such as the lemurs of Madagascar or Australian marsupials. They then combined this map with one showing regions of the world that contain a higher number of EDGE species than expected by chance. The resulting (combined) map highlights areas of the world – EDGE Zones – where EDGE species are concentrated.

Results show that the most important EDGE zones for mammals are found in South and Central America, Madagascar and Southeast Asia, as well as large parts of Southern and Eastern Africa. When scientists repeated the mapping process for amphibians, they found that different regions were highlighted: the East and West coast of North America, Central America, Southern Europe and Australia with smaller areas elsewhere. The difference may be explained by the biogeographic histories of the two groups, as well as range sizes and the fact that they may be impacted by different threats.

The study, which also mapped the distribution of ED mammals and amphibians, revealed a number of fascinating results. One of the most interesting is the difference between ED and EDGE mammal zones: the most evolutionarily distinct mammals are concentrated in east and southern Africa and South America, reflecting where the most ancient mammal lineages evolved, yet when threat is taken into account, Southeast Asia becomes a much higher priority. The reason for this is that while species in Southeast Asia are less evolutionarily distinct than their counterparts in the Americas and Africa, the threats they face are much greater due to the region’s high human population density.The research highlights just how little of these EDGE zones are currently protected. While 15 per cent of amphibian EDGE zones intersect with protected areas, only five per cent of the mammal EDGE zones are protected. Currently protected areas, like national parks and community-managed nature reserves cover just under 13 per cent of the world’s land surface. In 2010, the world’s governments committed to expanding this to 17 per cent by 2020, with an emphasis on areas of particular importance for nature. We call on governments to recognise the importance of EDGE Zones when creating new protected areas.

To better understand where the EDGE zones are found visit our new interactive EDGE map here.

For more information and explanation of the methodology used read the full paper here.

As you will remember, my EDGE Fellowship project is about developing and implementing international protocols for the release of trade confiscated Sunda pangolins. Over the last year we’ve been preparing for the first release by building the infrastructure for a soft release programme and providing behavioural enrichment for our captive pangolins, to prepare them for life in the wild.

Earlier this month, we moved the first pangolin to be released to the soft release enclosure in Cat Tien National Park and she’s spent the last month acclimatizing to her new surroundings whilst we carefully monitored for any stress behaviors (e.g. pacing, not eating and climbing on the wire meshing of the cage).

And then this week it happened! Our first pangolin was been released into Cat Tien National Park and we were ecstatic! But what is it about this endangered species that means a release programme should be considered as a management option for conserving this species?

Firstly, the Sunda pangolin is one of the most exploited animals in South East Asia, hunted for local use and to satisfy the demand for wild meat, scales and skin in Traditional Chinese Medicine. As confiscations can be of large numbers of live animals, not only do captive facilities run the risk of becoming quickly saturated but an opportunity is being missed to reinforce wild populations.

Secondly, Sunda pangolins are adaptable animals and can survive in most habitats. It is a diet generalist (feeding on several different species of termite and ant each night) and known to be both arboreal (in the canopy) and ground dwelling (in tree hollows or underground burrows) in their sleeping habits. These ecological requirements can be met in relatively small areas in a number of different habitat types. Therefore, theoretically, there should be an abundance of potential release sites within its geographical range.

Finally, there is a severe lack of awareness regarding the plight of pangolins. A release project like this provides the opportunity to help address this problem and begin to stimulate an attitudinal change towards the trade of pangolins.

On paper, a release may seem like a fairly straight forward procedure. In reality, hunting pressures and habitat degradation and destruction make finding suitable sites harder than it should be; and the susceptibility of Sunda pangolins to stress makes rehabilitation a difficult process. However,  Cat Tien is known as one of the best protected areas in Vietnam, filled with primary and secondary forest in which to find suitable release sites (of which many have been found). Furthermore, the team at the CPCP centre have dedicated a lot of time over the past few years to developing methods and guidelines that minimise the stress to the animal.

It is this gentle approach and attention to proper preparation that gives the animals the best possible opportunity to survive and positively impact on the conservation of the Sunda pangolin. In the weeks to come, we will track our released pangolin (using the radio transmitting device that has been attached to its scales) and I look forward to updating you on its adventures!

You can watch film footage of the release here: https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?v=3030281773895&set=vb.199134146807749&type=2&theater and learn more about Phuong’s project on his community page.

In 2010 and 2011, outbreaks of the disease Ranavirus occurred several times in farmed Chinese giant salamanders in Hanzhong County, Shanxi Province, China. Sadly, a large number of deaths occurred as a result of these outbreaks. The sick Chinese giant salamanders showed a loss of appetite; a curvature of the spine; s-type swimming; lethargy; swollen areas on the head and limbs; and skin ulcerations. The mortality rate of animals showing these symptoms was very high, with death occurring within 5-14 days.

In the photos you can see skin ulceration on a sick Chinese giant salamander and a lethargic salamander sleeping in the sunshine – which is a clear divergence from their natural behaviour of liking dark and being afraid if light.

Pathological and PCR analysis was used to prove that Ranavirus was the cause of these symptoms. Ranavirus is one of five genera of viruses within the family Iridoviridae, which are a kind of nucleocytoplasmic large DNA viruses. Ranavirus is the only genus within Iridoviridae that includes viruses that are infectious to amphibians, reptiles and fish. They are an emerging group of closely related dsDNA (double stranded DNA) viruses which cause systemic infections in a wide variety of wild and cultured fresh fishes and saltwater fishes.

Now we are working on detecting and monitoring this virus in Shanxi Province .We hope that our work can contribute to the effective protection of the Chinese giant salamander.

To learn more about Zhou Feng’s work, please visit the project page: “A sustainable future for Chinese giant salamanders”.

While waiting for the rains to subside, I’ve been studying the characteristics of other torrent frogs so I have a better understanding of the sort of characteristics Du Toit’s torrent frog is likely to have. There aren’t any preserved specimens of Du Toit’s torrent frog in Kenya, but we are lucky enough to have a few specimens of other members of the genus Petropedetes in the herpetology section of the National Museums of Kenya (where I work). These include Petropedetes martiensenni (the Usambara torrent frog), which is endemic to the Usambara Mountains in Tanzania, and Petropedetes natator (the Sierra Leone water frog), which was collected from high altitude forested riverine habitats in Liberia.

P. martiensenni is larger than P. natator, but both have many morphological similarities. After close inspection, I noticed that both species have their toe and finger tips expanded into heart-shaped discs. The fingers lack webbing, while the toes are webbed only slightly at the base. This is an adaptation which enables the torrent frogs to attach onto rock surfaces in fast flowing waters.  

The tips of these frogs’ heads are sharply pointed and I think it’s shaped like this to reduce the impact of water pressure on the frog. They have very large eyes and a clearly visible tympanum which is smaller than the eyes. The fore limbs are stout and masculine, a characteristic enabling them to strongly attach onto the rock surface against the swift water flow.

I hope to experience similar characteristics when I finally encounter Du Toit’s torrent frog.

To learn more about Jacob’s EDGE Fellowship project, please visit his community page.

I am a Biology graduate and my interest is in the study and conservation of Colombia’s biodiversity, especially mammals. I am especially keen on working with local communities to adopt an interdisciplinary approach to conservation that encourages local stakeholders to participate in, and take ownership of, local biodiversity conservation. I strongly believe that local communities have traditional knowledge, skills, and techniques that can contribute hugely to the process of conservation. The support of local stakeholders also increases the likelihood of long term success.

Through my EDGE Fellowship, which focuses on Handley’s slender mouse opossum, I am starting another new chapter. Like a lot of EDGE species, Handley’s slender mouse opossum is very poorly known. The species was first described in 1981, based on two specimens collected in 1950, and then rediscovered in 2011 and there remains a paucity of information. What we do know is that conversion of forest habitat to agriculture is likely to severely threaten Handley’s slender mouse opossum, which does not occur in any protected areas, but that no conservation measures are currently in place.  

A lot of my work will focus on collecting basic information on the species’ distribution, ecological requirements, habitat preferences and the threats they face. This information will help me to formulate a plan of conservation action for the species, which I will go on to implement towards the end of my EDGE Fellowship.

At the same time as collecting this important baseline data, I’ll be working with local communities to develop an environmental education programme that will focus on strengthening the skills and capabilities of the community to protect Handley’s slender mouse opossum and its habitat.

Daira Ximena is a member of our newest cohort of EDGE Fellows. To learn more about her project, please visit her community page.

Later on in life, I turned my childhood passion into a career and became one of West Africa’s very few herpetologists and the only one in my country. Today, as an authority on Ghana’s amphibians, I use my knowledge and influence to protect wildlife, particularly amphibians, through an organisation I founded in 2009 (Herp conservation, Ghana). The organisation conducts community awareness programmes, capacity building, and the promotion of networking among young conservationists.

My EDGE project is enabling me to continue my work strengthening protection for Ghana’s most endangered amphibian species. The target species of my project, the Togo slippery frog, is ranked 29 on EDGE amphibian list and is likely to be on the brink of extinction due to increasing hunting pressure from local people, decline in forest quality, and forest loss.

Ecological and genetic data is critical to making informed conservation interventions to save this species and my EDGE project will help us collect this information. Over the next two years, we will visit a number of historic sites where the species has previously been recorded and carry out surveys at these sites. We will also work with local communities to actively engage them in conservation interventions.

The data gathered from this project will be provided to the Ghanaian authorities, who are interested in developing conservation plans to save this EDGE species from extinction. Watch this space!

To learn more about Caleb’s work, please visit his community page.

Nikita is one of our newest EDGE Fellows. As she explain in this blog, her commitment to the conservation of marine biodiversity in The Bahamas goes back to childhood… 

For as long as I can remember, I have always loved the outdoors and being in the water. It was of no great surprise to anyone when my first summer job was working as a snorkel guide. For the 15-year old Nikita, it was a dream come true, and a summer that changed my life. It was that same summer that I became a PADI open water diver and was introduced to the wonders of the underwater world. Working on the snorkel boat I began to notice that, despite the fact that my co-workers and I were all making a profit off the ocean, there seemed to be an overwhelming lack of respect – where throwing a candy wrapper off the boat was considered the norm. 

I will never forget the beautiful summer day where the ocean was so calm it looked like a table but we had to change our snorkel site because the ongoing oil leak from the electrical plant left a slick of oil that covered the water. It was at that moment that I turned to my captain and said, “ give me four years and I am going to do something about that”. I returned to high school that year knowing that I was going to become a Marine Biologist and make a difference in The Bahamas.

It was that summer in 2002 that ignited my uncontrollable passion for the ocean and educating Bahamian youth about its value.  During my second year of University, I stayed true to my promise to my captain and founded the non-profit organization Young Marine Explorers that is committed to inspiring Bahamian youth to become agents of change through experiences in outdoor classrooms.

After my undergraduate degree I struggled for some time to find a graduate programme that embraced the physical sciences just as much as the social sciences – to me conservation requires both sciences working together – but I finally found this. It was in my first class at University of Edinburgh that I was introduced to EDGE species, so when I saw the EDGE Fellowship programme and their requirements for conservation projects I got really excited.

As an EDGE Fellow, I am able to introduce the world of conservation science to students of The Bahamas by fostering the development of their leadership skills, teaching them to become SCUBA Divers and engaging them through citizen science to work alongside me as we uncover the life history of the Evolutionarily Distinct and Globally Endangered coral species found within The Bahamas.  Although I have just started this project, I can see the enthusiasm and passion growing in the students as they develop pride for the ocean and our unique pillar coral.

To learn more about Nikita’s work, please visit her community page.

Fang Yan

I am Fang Yan, a Chinese girl from Lanzhou in northwestern China, and I am a doctoral candidate at the Kunming Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Science.

My research interest is the phylogeography and conservation of amphibians. Amphibians are important environmental indicators and ideal model species for discerning evolutionary processes. Unfortunately, amphibians are the most threatened animal group and seriously impacted by human activities. Many people think they are ugly and dirty; I still remember being scared to touch a frog in my biology class at college. But now I am so excited to go to the field to search for them. There are so many beautiful and interesting amphibians, many of which are new to science and drastically in need human protection. For example, the Liaoning clawed salamander (Onychodactylus zhaoermii) has just recently been identified. This species is a beautiful colour, with a slender body, and has black claw-like horny structures similar to a human’s fingernail. Amazingly, this species is believed to persist in just one small locality in Liaoning and, understandably, it is in urgent need of conservation attention.

Now that I am an EDGE Fellow, I will be focusing on the CGS, a species highly threatened by human activity. The aim of my EDGE Fellowship project is to study the population genetics of wild CGS populations and use this data to inform a conservation strategy for the species. This work forms part of a project aiming to ensure the long-term survival of CGS in their wild habitat.

So far, I have collected some wild genetic samples of CGS but important localities still need to be investigated. Qinghai is the most important distribution region for the species. Last year, we went to Qinghai to search for CGS but the variable weather was a great trial to us. It is amazing that CGS could live there for millions of years. We used traps and bait to lure the salamanders but unfortunately, none were detected.

In January 2013, we held a wonderful workshop in Kunming. I was so happy to meet everybody involved with the project. Each project partner introduced their current research status and work plan and all of the EDGE Fellows took part in CEPA (Communication, Education and Public Awareness) training.

Lv Jingcai

My name is Lv Jingcai, I come from Guizhou province, China. I am an MSc student studying at Zunyi medical college and my primary interest is the research of amphibians and reptiles. I have just started as an EDGE Fellow working on wild Chinese giant salamander (CGS) conservation in the Key Laboratory of Biodiversity and Environment Conservation in Guiyang University, China.

My EDGE Fellowship project will focus on the surveying, monitoring and management of CGS in Guizhou province, a biologically diverse and resource rich region of China. Alongside my surveying, I will also focus on Communication, Education and Public Awareness (CEPA) to ensure the goal of long-term conservation of this endangered species and its freshwater ecosystem.

In 2011-2012 I participated in wetland research on the diversity of amphibians and reptiles in the protected areas of Guizhou province with my supervisor, Professor Wei Gang. Here I learned field survey skills applicable for collecting data on CGS distribution. All this knowledge is very important for my future work. I look forward to updating you as the project progresses.

To learn more about the project that Fang Yan and Lv Jingcai are working on, please visit the project page: “A sustainable future for Chinese giant salamanders”.

Acanthaster planci, better known as the crown-of-thorns starfish (CoT), is a colossal starfish and notorious predator of reef building corals.

Crown-of-thorns starfish

Reaching perhaps one metre across, these marine invertebrates possess a distinctive and intimidating appearance. Each animal has between 7 and 23 arms which radiate around a disc shaped, central body. Adorned on top of their fleshy structure are hundreds of vicious looking spines, each several centimetres long and loaded with stinging toxins to deter potential predators. The starfish can range in colour from dull grey to bright purple and has a gruesome feeding habit in which it inverts its stomach out of its mouth and over its prey, releasing enzymes to digest the soft living tissue.

CoT starfish are one of the few natural predators of hard corals. In normal conditions, they persist in sustainable, low density populations and, due to their preference for consuming fast growing species, play an ecologically important role in maintaining coral diversity. Under certain circumstances however, populations of these corallivorous animals can boom to reach unsustainable densities. With a single starfish capable of consuming a ‘dinner plate sized’ area of coral in a single night  (that equates to 10m² of coral reef over the course of a year), these outbreaks can decimate reefs as living corals are consumed many times quicker than they can grow. Additionally, over-predation of the CoT stars’ preferred prey species often results in localised coral extinctions, thus leading to changes in reef community structure. In severe outbreaks, coral species will be sequentially lost until there is no living coral remaining.

Whilst CoT outbreaks have probably occurred naturally – but rarely – throughout history, the issue today is that the frequency of these outbreaks has greatly increased in recent decades. What was once perhaps a one in ever eighty year event now occurs every fifteen years, leaving reefs little time to recover.

The impact of a CoT outbreak and subsequent cyclone event on a previously healthy coral reef habitat (A). Heavy predation by the starfish removed much of the living coral allowing algae to become dominant (B). The weakened skeletons of mostly dead coral could not withstand the physical disturbance of the subsequent cyclone (C).

The feeding strategy of the CoT starfish allows the animal to digest live coral tissue without damaging the physical reef structure. Nonetheless, without living tissue, colony skeletons become brittle and more vulnerable to physical disturbance. Subsequent freak weather events have been found to inflict catastrophic damage to reefs suffering from CoT outbreaks.

So what causes these outbreaks and how can they be stopped? The current theory is that population expansion is facilitated by an increased level of nutrients in the surrounding water.

CoT larvae typically settle in deeper waters at the base of reefs. Here larval forms can feed on phytoplankton and micro-algae in the water column. The availability of these food sources is closely tied to the survival of larvae into the juvenile form, at which point their diet diversifies and they can begin to consume coralline algae and, eventually, reef building corals. Elevated water nutrient levels have been found to coincide with CoT outbreaks and research has shown that higher nutrient levels – as a result of flooding/sediment run-off/fertiliser leaching etc – leads to higher levels of phytoplankton and in turn, greater survivorship of CoT larvae. Considering that a single female starfish can release a staggering 50 million eggs a year, the impact of increased larval survivorship can be enormous.

CoT outbreaks are considered a significant but potentially manageable threat to many coral ecosystems. Unlike the threats of global warming and ocean acidification, outbreaks of this predatory starfish are a result of localised coastal management and as such can be dealt with without the need for challenging international collaboration. The Australian government for example has embarked on an AU$200 million Reef Rescue programme to monitor and reduce nutrient run-off along the coastlines of its Great Barrier Reef, a coral habitat that has suffered numerous CoT outbreaks in recent decades. Only time will tell if such management can successfully prevent or mitigate outbreaks in the future.

I cannot tell the number of times that I have thought about beginning my project on Du Toit’s torrent frog in Mount Elgon on the border of Kenya and Uganda. I have found myself thinking about it early in the morning before dawn, in the daytime amidst my busy working schedule, and it has not been unheard of for me to sit thinking about it in the middle of the night.   

Yesterday, reality dawned on me when I finally stepped at Kitale, the largest town in the vicinity of Mount Elgon. The town is packed with people and there are an amazingly large number of motorbikes and bicycles, dubbed ‘Boda-bodas’ (border-border), but this didn’t distract me from the vivid view of Mount Elgon that can be seen to the west of the town. It is an image I have forever longed to see – a mountain of hope and inspiration.   

In Kitale, we were met by our new-found friend Josephat Ngoria, nicknamed Friday. Friday’s brother, George, is a colleague of mine at the National Museums of Kenya and he had facilitated the meeting. Friday is the Divisional Youth Leader, and an ardent farmer, who has lived at the base of Mount Elgon for the better part of his life. He enthusiastically agreed to be our local field guide, and will be a huge asset to our field team given his familiarity with the mountain. Friday has never worked on amphibians but he is very eager to learn and help us successfully complete the project.    

Even after the long, overnight travel on the rough Nairobi to Kitale road, we could not rest without paying a visit to one of the rivers on the mountain. We navigated our way to Chorlim Gate, one of the Kenya Wildlife Service entry points to Mount Elgon, located almost 33km from Kitale town. Adjacent to the gate is Cheptendan River at an altitude 2,114m above sea level. My thirst was quenched as I touched the crystal clear waters flowing gracefully.

We will stay in the area, carrying out a reconnaissance survey for the next week. Moving anticlockwise, we will be visiting all the rivers and streams on the mountain, marking all possible study sites which will survey in more detail during the main study. When we return to these sites, we will comb the whole area, turning every possible rock and log, wading up and through all the streams with the hope that we will come across Du Toit’s torrent frog as well as studying the other frogs in Mount Elgon.   

I am optimistic that soon we will have a message of glad tiding, furnishing the whole world with news of the whereabouts of Du Toit’s torrent frog. As they say, where there’s a will there’s a way!

To learn more about Jacob’s EDGE Fellowship project, please click here.