About the DAPTF
- The Mission of the DAPTF is to determine the nature, extent and causes of declines of amphibians throughout the world, and to promote means by which declines can be halted or reversed.
- The DAPTF was established in 1991 by the Species Survival Commission (SSC) of the World Conservation Union (IUCN). The Task Force Office is located at the Open University in the UK. The DAPTF operates through a network of Regional Working Groups. Around 90 of these represent different regions of the world and collect data on amphibian declines and their causes. Other, issue-based Working Groups are concerned with specific topics, including: Disease and Pathology, Monitoring Techniques, Chemical Contaminants, Climatic and Atmospheric Change, and Captive Breeding.
- The DAPTF allocates a substantial proportion of its budget to an annual programme of Seed Grants. These are small awards (typically $500 to $2000) given to support projects that further the DAPTF's mission, with the intention that they will not only yield results that further our scientific understanding of the amphibian decline phenomenon, but will also lead to recipients setting up new lines of research that will attract further, more substantial funding from conventional sources. Between 1993 and 2004, we received 454 applications, from 76 different countries; we have funded 157 projects in 45 countries, for a total outlay of $272,951.
- The DAPTF is a non-profit organisation that has only one regular paid employee. It derives its operating budget from grants, awards, institutional contributions, and personal donations.
- The DAPTF is working with Conservation International to complete a global amphibian assessment, determining the status of all the world's 5500 amphibian species, in 2004.
- The DAPTF maintains a Rapid Response Fund to investigate mass mortality events and disease outbreaks in the field. Since 1998, we have received 14 bids, of which we have funded 6, for an outlay of $8600.
- The DAPTF publishes a free, bimonthly newsletter, FROGLOG, that is posted at our web site and distributed in hard copy to 3000 recipients worldwide. In June 2004 we will publish issue No. 63.
