It is raining frogs in the Western Ghats

Raorchestes emeraldi from fragmented forests of Valparai plateau, Anaimalai. 
Photo: Vijayakumar S.P.

The year 2014 has been an extraordinary year in the discovery (and re-discovery) of frogs in the Western Ghats. Finding 41 species new to science in a single year—and from the same region of India—is a phenomenal occurrence, especially when rapid economic development has shrunk pristine ecosystems in the Western Ghats. 

Researchers are not done yet and think more species could be found but fear many could be lost even before they are described. Frogs are important indicators of the state of our environment but the slightest climatic change can harm them. What is even more surprising is the fact that most of these discoveries have taken place outside protected areas such as national parks and wildlife sanctuaries. 

Nine new species of bush frogs, 6 new species of golden-backed frogs, 14 new species of dancing frogs and 12 species of night frogs have been discovered in 2014. All these discoveries have been made in the rainforests of the Western Ghats, one of eight 'hottest hotspots for biodiversity' in the planet. Home to the highest number of endemic species in India, the Western Ghats has also been in the news as its fragile ecology faces destruction from unregulated mining, pollution and habitat loss owing to human settlements and construction. 

Interestingly, researchers have discovered many new frog lineages across various places in the Western Ghats—such as Agasthyamalai in Kerala, Anaimalai and Nilgiris in Kerala and Tamil Nadu, and Kudremukh in Karnataka—showing how little these frogs have been studied and how much more needs to be done. . 

The question worth asking is: “If threat to the Lion-tailed Macaque could lead to the shelving of the Silent Valley Hydroelectric Power Project, will continuous discoveries of new amphibians help protect the entire stretch of the Western Ghats?".........read more.