On the same day that Ecuador’s provincial court is hearing a case to determine the future of the country’s incredibly biodiverse Intag Valley, the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species has officially updated the status of the longnose harlequin toad (Atelopus longirostris)–found only in Intag Valley–from extinct to critically endangered.
“The rediscovery of the longnose harlequin toad after nearly three decades was one of the most exciting and hopeful rediscoveries of a lost species in recent years,” said Lina Valencia, Andean countries coordinator for Re:wild and leading founder of the Atelopus Survival Initiative. “But the moment the toad was rediscovered, it was already threatened by ongoing efforts to mine its only home for copper. Today, Ecuador and the world faces losing the longnose harlequin toad and a number of rare species if mining at Intag is not stopped.”
read more www.rewild.org/press/rediscovered-longnose-harlequin-toad-classified-as-critically-endangered-on
