SAVE THE FROGS! Ghana (West Africa’s first non-profit organization dedicated exclusively to amphibian conservation) will co-host the 17th African Amphibian Working Group (AAWG) meeting in Kumasi, from 25th to 28th July 2017. The AAWG meeting, the first to be hosted in Ghana, is an occasion for amphibian conservation scientists to discuss the progress and the way forward in amphibian research and protection on the continent. It will also be an opportunity for early career conservationists and students to network with professionals from all over the world and from co-hosting institutions including Herp Conservation Ghana and the Museum of Natural History Berlin.
Activities planned include a pre-meeting field training session from 23-24th July 2017, with the renowned German amphibian expert, Dr. Mark Oliver Rödel at the Atewa and Bobiri Forest Reserves, home to at least 60 amphibians, including the critically endangered Togo Slippery Frog (Conraua derooi). This hands-on training will equip participants with the appropriate field methods for amphibian data collection and analysis.
The main meeting will be held at the Forestry Research Institute of Ghana (FORIG) conference hall, where an estimated 30 speakers from around the world will present their work on African amphibians. SAVE THE FROGS! Ghana’s staff and student members will highlight their efforts in pioneering the African environmental revolution through research and conservation.
Participants will also have the opportunity to take in the sights and sounds of Kumasi, Ghana’s second largest city and the nation’s cultural hub, on an organized trip to the Manhyia Palace and Lake Bosomtwe on 28th July 2017. The Palace offers the rare chance to witness one of Africa’s finest cultures and artifacts from the famous Asante Kingdom. The Crater Lake Bosomtwe, the only kind in Ghana, also teems with abundant wet areas great for frogging activities.
