Rescuing Amphibians In Crisis with Dr. Bob Lacy & Jonathan Wilcken

Описание: E03 – What is conservation breeding?

In this episode, Bob helps us understand how conservation breeding works as a response to the amphibian extinction crisis, especially when chytrid fungus makes protecting wild populations impossible and “insurance populations" are needed to prevent species loss.

Drawing on Bob’s experience, the episode traces early work on the Puerto Rican toad (sapo concho), then goes on to unpack population management and conservation breeding.

Together with Amphibian Ark’s Executive Director, Jonathan Wilcken, we outline the way Amphibian Ark works today and how it is going from a reactive crisis-response organization to a more proactive approach to rescuing amphibians in crisis around the world.



Support Amphibian Ark: https://www.amphibianark.org/support-us/



About our guests:
Dr. Bob Lacy is a conservation scientist with the Chicago Zoological Society and served as chair of the IUCN Conservation Breeding Specialist Group (CBSG, today CPSG) from 2003-2011. He is still Science Advisor and an active member of CPSG.

After 20+ years working within the ex situ community, including as Director of Auckland Zoo, Executive Director of the Australasian Zoo and Aquarium Association and Chair of Species360, Jonathan Wilcken has been the Executive Director of Amphibian Ark since 2023.


About the podcast
Amphibian Rescue is produced and hosted by María Braeuner, with original music by Pablo Bolaños | Biota Specimens.

Episodes are reviewed and fact-checked by the Amphibian Ark team of experts: Luis Carrillo, Devin Edmonds, Renata Ibelli Vaz, Jonathan Wilcken, Cybele Lisboa, Elizabeth Townsend, María José Chang, and Beatriz Velásquez.

Cover image and intro and outro video footage by © Jaime Culebras

The podcast is made possible thanks to the continued support of Amphibian Ark donors and partners around the world.

Together, we can continue rescuing amphibians in crisis.