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The Western Leopard Toad Conservation Committee
The Western Leopard Toad Conservation Committee (WLT-CC) was formed in 2007 with its main function to combine ideas and scientific knowledge to ensure sound, factual information is circulated by the public and in the media.
The committee also aims to oversee the all activities surrounding the species, including that in the field of research, monitoring and volunteer work.
The committee contains representatives from the following organizations:
South African National Biodiversity Institute
Cape Nature
City of Cape Town
Overstrand Municipality
Table Mountain National Park
Nature Conservation Corporation
Volunteers of the public
A Biodiversity Management Plan for the Western Leopard Toad is currently being drafted by members of the committee. This has been motivated for the following reasons:
The species is listed as Endangered under the IUCN, but conservation can only be effective in urban areas.
The nature of the threats (road kills; wetland destruction, and urban development) require national coordination, although implementation is by local and national conservation authorities, with extensive volunteer involvement and property owner support. As such it is an ideal flagship species for the conservation of many other threatened animal species.
This flagship species effectively directly promotes the conservation of at least 5 other frog species, 1 mammal species and promotes eco-friendly gardening practices.
Its reach extends beyond its immediate conservation, being ideal for fostering public awareness and continued involvement in conservation issues, from alien plants, eco-friendly urban management, and eco-friendly gardening.
It thus spans the entire range from urban planning, roadverge and green belt maintenance to the man in the garden, uniting them in awareness and connecting nature from the reserves into the urban gardens.
As a potential Public participation exercise and urban conservation awareness campaign this project has no equal. |
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