Khamai Foundation Secures Critical Habitat for the Mindo Harlequin Toad Through ZAA’s Conservation Initiative Grant
The Zoological Association of America (ZAA) is proud to celebrate the Khamai Foundation’s successful completion of a rapid-response conservation project funded in part by the 2025 ZAA Conservation Initiative Grant (CIG). Their urgent work to protect the critically endangered Mindo Harlequin Toad has achieved a major milestone: the permanent protection of 28 hectares of critical habitat within the Arlequín Reserve.
This victory marks a significant step toward preventing the extinction of one of the world’s most imperiled amphibians.
A Rapid-Response Project With Immediate Impact
The CIG-funded project, led by Principal Investigator Alejandro Arteaga, set out with two urgent objectives:
Objective 1: Use $2,000 of CIG support to conduct continuous monitoring across two unprotected land parcels to locate any surviving Mindo Harlequin Toads and present findings to funding partners to expedite habitat protection.
Objective 2: Use $3,000 of CIG support toward the down payment for the acquisition of one of those unprotected parcels—the Vásconez lot—to expand and secure the Arlequín Reserve.
These actions were part of a broader collaborative effort alongside key supporters including the Quick Response Fund For Nature, Ceiba Foundation, the World Rainforest Fund, the Van Tienhoven Foundation, The Burgers’ Zoo, Conservation Connect, and Conservation Nation.
ZAA is proud to be among the organizations contributing to this urgent and meaningful conservation action through the CIG program.
“Land is Saved!”
In an update shared with ZAA, Arteaga expressed his joy and relief at the project’s successful conclusion:
“It brings me enormous joy to share with you the news that the Arlequín Reserve urgent expansion has been completed. On Tuesday, we signed the land purchase: the habitat of the toad has been saved!”
With the purchase finalized, the impacts were immediate and profound.
“With the purchase, the destruction of the land has stopped, instantly: the cattle has been removed, the logging has stopped, use of pesticides has been halted,” Arteaga wrote. “The Mindo Harlequin Toad will get a renewed chance at survival.”
The Khamai Foundation has already begun reforesting approximately nine hectares of previously damaged land.
Protecting the Future of Atelopus mindoensis
Expanding the Arlequín Reserve ensures permanent protection of the only known surviving population of the Mindo Harlequin Toad. The reserve will also host researchers, biology students, and ecotourists, creating a sustainable model that supports ongoing monitoring and stewardship led by the reserve’s dedicated ranger and biologist team.
This successful land purchase ensures that deforestation, pesticide use, and land conversion cannot threaten the species’ last refuge.
ZAA congratulates the Khamai Foundation on this landmark conservation achievement and is honored to support their work through the Conservation Initiative Grant.
