Saving the diverse Malagasy amphibian fauna: where are we four years after implementation of the Sahonagasy Action Plan?

We reviewed the actions carried out in the four years since the launch of the initiative ''A Conservation Strategy for the Amphibians of Madagascar'' (ACSAM), which represents Madagascar's contribution to the global amphibian conservation effort, to determine if progress has been consistent with expectations. Of the targeted actions listed in the Sahonagasy Action Plan (SAP), 29 % have been fully implemented, 33 % partially implemented, whilst there was no evidence of progress for 38 %. We estimate that 41 % of the 1.4 million Euros needed in the first four years have been allocated to date. Difficulties encountered during this period included political instability, donor withdrawal from Madagascar and aligning research actions with conservation priorities; however, we expect all these issues will improve over the longer term. Until recently there was no confirmed evidence of Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis fungus in Madagascar. Efforts are currently underway to implement policies to reduce the risk of future Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis introduction and dispersal across the island. In addition, no amphibians have dramatically declined or gone extinct over the past four years, and ongoing survey works continue to discover new species.