A Chilean voice in global science: President of ONG Ranita de Darwin on the Zoological Society of London's podcast
A Chilean voice in global science: President of ONG Ranita de Darwin on the Zoological Society of London's podcast:
Deep in the rainforests of southern Chile lives a tiny amphibian barely 3 centimetres long. With its angular body, pointed snout and astonishing ability to blend into the browns and greens of the forest floor, Darwin's frog (Rhinoderma darwinii) is fighting for its survival.
A new podcast episode from the Zoological Society of London (ZSL) tells the story of this unique species and of the work being carried out to protect it.
The episode features Andrés Valenzuela-Sánchez, a researcher at ZSL and president of ONG Ranita de Darwin, who for many years has been conducting research into the drivers and consequences of infectious diseases in wild populations, with a particular focus on amphibians.
In his work, Andrés uses observational and manipulative field studies, together with quantitative analytical approaches — such as capture-recapture and occupancy models, and simulations — to account for the uncertainty inherent in wildlife field studies.
He also seeks to integrate ecological and evolutionary theory, such as life-history theory, into disease ecology. His main study models are amphibians (Darwin's frog, the Caribbean mountain chicken frog and the Barrio's frog) and the pathogens that affect them, particularly the chytrid fungus, although he has also collaborated on projects involving other groups, including mammals and marine invertebrates.
Science in the service of conservation
Scientists at ZSL have spent more than 20 years working on chytridiomycosis, the disease caused by the fungus Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis that has devastated amphibian populations around the world, seeking to understand the underlying drivers of its distribution, spread and impacts. The episode explores the work being carried out to protect and restore Darwin's frog populations.
In this context, one of Andrés's central interests is bridging the gap between science and conservation practice, particularly through the co-production of actionable science and capacity-building in conservation planning and monitoring. To this end, he works continuously with conservation managers from both the public and private sectors, as well as with other key stakeholders such as landowners and educators across Chile.
Andrés currently chairs the governance committee of the Binational Conservation Strategy for Darwin's Frogs and is co-chair of the Communications and Education Working Group of the Amphibian Specialist Group of the Species Survival Commission (SSC) of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN).
At ZSL, he is also involved in teaching and supervising doctoral (PhD) and Master's (MSc) research projects, and serves as deputy director of the Wild Animal Biology and Wild Animal Health MSc courses jointly delivered by ZSL and the Royal Veterinary College, where he co-leads a module on Ecosystem Health and Anthropogenic Drivers of Disease Emergence.
Listen to the episode
The story of Darwin's frog is small in size, yet enormous in what it teaches us about the biodiversity crisis and about the difference that committed science can make.
Listen the podcast here https://open.spotify.com/episode/1wYdLnNivsU6cYmWMxTOQr
More about Andrés aquí: https://www.zsl.org/about-zsl/our-people/dr-andres-valenzuela-sanchez
únete a la Red de Guardianes de las Ranitas de Darwin en
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