One of the greatest concerns facing wild amphibians today is poaching. Poaching and Illegal trade not only put amphibian populations at risk from over collection, they also jeopardize conservation efforts by competing with legal trade.  Seized shipments of illegal frogs often have nowhere to go,  finding responsible sustainable sources to supply hobbyists is a challenge, and captive reintroduction programs are often few and far between.

Every problem must have a solution though... -And the solution to these problems is Tesoros de Colombia, and Ivan Lozano. 

Ivan has dedicated decades of his life towards eliminating the illegal trade by creating a sustainable source of captive bred amphibians for both reintroduction into the wild and to supply ethical hobbyists. He has spearheaded efforts in Colombia aimed at eliminating poaching by providing legal exports, and by giving back to the ecosystems that these animals thrive in through various initiatives including La Reserva Biopark. 

This three part series focuses on the past, present and future of Tesoros de Colombia. In this week's episode we talk about the past- how and why Tesoros created- with Ivan Lozano. We discuss the creation of La Riserva Biopark, the state of the Colombian amphibian trade in the early days, and why there was such a great need for Tesoros de Colombia to begin. 

For more information visit: https://tesorosdecolombia.com/ and https://activeconservationalliance.org/

To Support the Podcast by becoming a Patron, for Merch, and for a 10% listener discount off of an In Situ Ecosystems vivarium, visit: https://linktr.ee/AmphibiCast