Frogs and friends at risk from booming global wildlife trade

[Frog News]

Mongabay News (California, USA) September 8th, 2010 06:07 PM: Frogs and friends at risk from booming global wildlife trade

Alejandra Goyenechea, International Counsel at Defenders of Wildlife and Chair of the Species Survival Network's (SSN) Amphibian Working Group, spoke with Laurel Neme on her "The WildLife" radio show and podcast about the global amphibian trade.

This interview originally aired February 8, 2010. Assistance for this article was provided by Ben Kennedy.

Alejandra Goyenechea, International Counsel at Defenders of Wildlife and Chair of the Species Survival Network’s (SSN) Amphibian Working Group, spoke with Laurel Neme on her “The WildLife” radio show and podcast about the global amphibian trade. In her interview, Alejandra Goyenechea discusses the benefits of frogs and the many threats – such as habitat loss, climate change, pollution, invasive species, disease, and overexploitation – to their survival. Did you know frogs indicate environmental quality, like canaries in a coal mine? Or that many have medicinal properties, like the phantasmal poison dart frog which produces a painkiller 200 times the potency of morphine?

A booming international trade exists that uses frogs for food, pets, medicine and scientific purposes – a trade that is now jeopardizing the continued existence of many species. However, as Ms Goyenechea explains in her interview, the laws that exist to protect amphibians and prohibit their export are difficult to enforce. She also sheds light on the challenges of captive breeding of amphibians, the importance of scientific research and the overarching challenges of studying amphibians. Finally, she discusses steps taken by her organization, Defenders of Wildlife, to stem declines in amphibian populations. These include proposals to list certain amphibian species in the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) appendices, and to improve documentation and regulation of amphibian imports, particularly with respect to certifying the absence of chytrid fungus that is currently decimating frog populations. In November 2008, Defenders proposed that 13 amphibian species be added to CITES, and in September 2009 the organization filed a petition with both the Department of the Interior and the Department of Agriculture regarding regulations to prevent the infected frogs from entering and thus stop the invasive fungus at the border.

Alejandra Goyenechea is International Counsel at the International Conservation Program of Defenders of Wildlife and also Chair of the Species Survival Network's (SSN) Amphibian Working Group. Her primary focus is the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) and other international trade law issues, with an emphasis on Latin America. She has worked at several international institutions and organizations and has experience in wildlife policy and broader experience in other environmental areas. During her work with the Mexican government she represented the Environmental Enforcement Agency at the international level. She also has interned or worked at the Organization of American States, the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP) North American office, and the DC law firm Baker Botts. Ms. Goyenechea earned her law degree at the Instituto Tecnológico Autónomo de México, in Mexico, and came in 2000 to Washington DC to complete a Masters degree, LLM, in International Environmental Law, at the Washington College of Law at American University, with a Fulbright scholarship. She speaks fluent English, Spanish and French.

Continued in Full Article