In March 2008 a one-year frog census will be launched to gather data from all over South Africa.  This initiative comes from Anne Mearns, a committee member of the Gauteng Conservancy Association . The census will last until March 2009.    “Frogs are indicators of the health of an ecosystem and can provide early warning of threats to other species, including ourselves," says Anne.

“A third of the world’s amphibians already face extinction.   In South Africa 110 species have been identified and three quarters of these occur in wetlands,"  she says.

Anne is a recipient of the United Nations' Environmental Global 500 Role of Honour. She often delivers talks and  papers at conferences, in South Africa and in surrounding countries, eg Malawi and Namibia.  Her presentation on wetlands to the University of Namibia was so well received that they have asked asked her to produce a booklet on wetlands for the university.

"Our frog populations are under pressure," she says. "The main threat is habitat loss - urban and agriculture development. Most of our wetlands are severely stressed, leading to an alarming drop in frog numbers."

A second threat comes from pollutants such as fertilisers, pesticides, litter and human waste poisoning the water.   Frogs’ skins are permeable which makes them extremely vulnerable to any foreign elements in water.   A third threat is from alien species such as trout and bass which feed on frog eggs and tadpoles.

“For this frog identification census we want info on all kinds of frogs – where they occur, what type, what numbers – from all over the country.  Call it a national frog count,” says Anne.

For advice contact her  a.mearns@mtnloaded.co.za or conservancies@conservancies.org or 073 210 3340