Amphibian Alliance for Zero Extinction Sites in Chiapas and Oaxaca John F. Lamoreux, Meghan W. McKnight, and Rodolfo Cabrera Hernandez Occasional Paper of the IUCN Species Survival Commission No. 53 Amphibian Alliance for Zero Extinction Sites in Chiapas and Oaxaca John F. Lamoreux, Meghan W. McKnight, and Rodolfo Cabrera Hernandez Occasional Paper of the IUCN Species Survival Commission No. 53 The designation of geographical entities in this book, and the presentation of the material, do not imply the expression of any opinion whatsoever on the part of IUCN concerning the legal status of any country, territory, or area, or of its authorities, or concerning the delimitation of its frontiers or boundaries. The views expressed in this publication do not necessarily reflect those of IUCN or other participating organizations. Published by: IUCN, Gland, Switzerland Copyright: © 2015 International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources Reproduction of this publication for educational or other non-commercial purposes is authorized without prior written permission from the copyright holder provided the source is fully acknowledged. Reproduction of this publication for resale or other commercial purposes is prohibited without prior written permission of the copyright holder. Citation: Lamoreux, J. F., McKnight, M. W., and R. Cabrera Hernandez (2015). Amphibian Alliance for Zero Extinction Sites in Chiapas and Oaxaca. Gland, Switzerland: IUCN. xxiv + 320pp. ISBN: 978-2-8317-1717-3 DOI: 10.2305/IUCN.CH.2015.SSC-OP.53.en Cover photographs: Totontepec landscape; new Plectrohyla species, Ixalotriton niger, Concepción Pápalo, Thorius minutissimus, Craugastor pozo (panels, left to right) Back cover photograph: Collecting in Chamula, Chiapas Photo credits: The cover photographs were taken by the authors under grant agreements with the two main project funders: NGS and CEPF. Likewise, other photographs in this publication belong to the authors and they should not be reproduced or used in other contexts without written permission. Three exceptions to this include: Figure III-4 by Toby Hibbitts (pg. 199), Figure IV-6 by Eric Smith (pg. 235), and Figure IV-10 by Antonio Muñoz (pg. 261). These should not be reproduced or used in other contexts without written permission from the photographers. Available from: http://www.iucn.org/about/work/programmes/species/publications/ thematic_publications/ IUCN, International Union for Conservation of Nature, helps the world find pragmatic solutions to our most pressing environment and development challenges. IUCN’s work focuses on valuing and conserving nature, ensuring effective and equitable governance of its use, and deploying nature-based solutions to global challenges in climate, food and development. IUCN supports scientific research, manages field projects all over the world, and brings governments, NGOs, the UN and companies together to develop policy, laws and best practice. IUCN is the world’s oldest and largest global environmental organization, with more than 1,200 government and NGO Members and almost 11,000 volunteer experts in some 160 countries. IUCN’s work is supported by over 1,000 staff in 45 offices and hundreds of partners in public, NGO and private sectors around the world. For more infor- mation about IUCN, visit <www.iucn.org>. The Species Survival Commission (SSC) is one of six volunteer commissions of IUCN. SSC’s mission is to conserve biological diversity by developing and executing programs to save, restore and wisely manage species and their habitats. The Amphibian Specialist Group (ASG) provides the scientific foundation to inform effective amphibian conservation action around the world. More specifically, the ASG stimulates, develops and conducts scientific research to inform the conser- vation of amphibians and their habitats around the world, supports the assessment of the conservation status of amphibian biodiversity and informs the general public of amphibian conservation-related issues and priorities. This is attained by sup- porting and mobilizing a global network of members to develop capacity, improve coordination and integration so as to achieve shared, strategic amphibian conserva- tion goals. For more information about the ASG, visit <www.amphibians.org/asg>. The Conservation Trust is a National Geographic grant program that supports innovative solutions to conservation challenges and issues of global concern. The Trust encourages projects with a strong emphasis on conservation science. In par- ticular, it seeks to support those projects that test and critically evaluate alternative approaches to conservation. For more information about the Trust, visit <www.nationalgeographic.com/explorers/grants-programs/conservation-trust>. The Critical Ecosystem Partnership Fund is a joint initiative of l’Agence Française de Développement, Conservation International, the Global Environment Facility, the Government of Japan, the MacArthur Foundation and the World Bank. A fun- damental goal is to ensure civil society is engaged in biodiversity conservation. For more information about CEPF, visit <www.cepf.net>. Conservation International (CI) applies innovations in science, economics, policy and community participation to protect the Earth’s richest regions of plant and animal diversity in the biodiversity hotspots, high-biodiversity wilderness areas and key marine ecosystems. With headquarters in Arlington, VA, CI works in more than 40 countries on four continents. For more information about CI, visit <www.conservation.org>. Pronatura Sur is a non-profit Mexican organization established in 1993, aimed to the conservation of biodiversity and priority ecosystems, promoting sustainable development in harmony with Earth. For more information about Pronatura Sur, visit <www.pronatura-sur.org>. Contents Prologue ....................................................................................................................xi Project Objectives, Scope, and Funding ...................................................................xiii Acknowledgements ..................................................................................................xv Text Conventions ....................................................................................................xix I: Introduction 1 Layout of the Book .....................................................................................................3 Alliance for Zero Extinction (AZE) ............................................................................4 Mexico’s Extraordinary Number of Amphibian AZE Sites .........................................5 State of Urgency ........................................................................................................7 Threats to Amphibians in Chiapas and Oaxaca ..........................................................8 Habitat loss .........................................................................................................9 Water use ..........................................................................................................14 Fire ...................................................................................................................18 Climate change .................................................................................................23 Chytridiomycosis ................................................................................................35 II: Site profiles 89 Concepción Pápalo ...................................................................................................91 Sierra de Juárez .......................................................................................................105 Totontepec ..............................................................................................................147 Ayutla .....................................................................................................................163 Santo Tomás Teipan ...............................................................................................173 Chimalapas ............................................................................................................181 III: Additional areas/sites visited 193 San Cristóbal de las Casas.......................................................................................195 Cerro de las Flores ..................................................................................................213 IV: Delineation of AZE sites in Chiapas and Oaxaca 221 The Need for a New AZE List ...............................................................................223 Our Delineation of Amphibian AZE Sites ..............................................................229 vi AMPHIBIAN ALLIANCE FOR ZERO EXTINCTION SITES IN CHIAPas AND OAXACA AZE Sites that were the Foci of Our Project ..........................................................229 Additional AZE Amphibian Sites in Chiapas and Oaxaca ......................................234 Two Additional AZE Sites Triggered by Non-amphibians ......................................244 Possible AZE Trigger Species Depending on Site Definition ...................................245 DD Amphibian Species that Might Qualify if Reassessed ......................................251 Deleted Amphibian AZE Sites ................................................................................253 V: Additional material 275 Recommendations Regarding Chytridiomycosis .....................................................277