Communities in Kerala’s Hills Are Coming Together To Protect the Western Ghats’ Last Remaining Frogs

Did you know India is home to over 453 species of amphibians, of which 139 are classified as ‘threatened’ by the IUCN (International Union for Conservation of Nature)? Kerala’s Munnar landscape is a breeding ground for several amphibians, including some unique frog species. In 2023, the Wildlife Trust of India launched the Amphibian Recovery Project to restore the breeding habitats of these endemic frogs across the region.

The microclimate of Kerala’s Munnar is conducive to a unique ecosystem and biodiversity. The region has been identified as an ‘Alliance for Zero Extinction’ site, rendering it critical for the conservation of rare and endangered species.

According to a Wildlife Trust of India estimate, around 41 out of the 45 frog species reported here are endemic to the region. Currently, 15 of these are classified as ‘endangered’ and 10 as ‘vulnerable’. The Amphibian Recovery Project aims to protect these species in the face of threats such as unregulated infrastructure development, road expansion, and urbanisation. But these are not the only threats to the amphibians.

Since 2021, Wildlife Trust of India has also been monitoring for diseases like Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis (Bd), a deadly fungus that causes skin infections and death in amphibians. It is responsible for amphibian extinctions in many parts of the world.

The focus species of the Amphibian Recovery Project include the kadalar swamp tree frog, resplendent grass frog, Shola night frog, Anamalai gliding frog, and meowing night frog.

The project aims to document species presence, particularly that of threatened species, across the Munnar landscape, its forests, and swamps. Each time a frog was spotted, its call was recorded along with its behaviour.

As Dr Harikrishnan S, project head and manager of WTI’s Amphibian Recovery Project, points out, “We noticed a particular stretch of road where many Anamalai gliding frogs were getting run over by vehicles, a problem that is hard to solve considering the arboreal nature of the species.”

Since 2021, the Amphibian Recovery Project has been instrumental in creating six new ponds in the Munnar landscape. This targets frog species that are dependent on stagnant water for breeding, such as bush frogs (Raorchestes and Pseudophilautus).

In April 2025, there was the first sighting of the ‘critically endangered’ Anamalai gliding frog. It created a foam nest in one of the artificial ponds. That June, the ‘endangered’ galaxy frog endemic to the southern Western Ghats was also spotted. The rare species was rediscovered in the Western Ghats after nearly 85 years.

Regular monitoring of the ponds showed the presence of around seven species, including Anamalai gliding frog, Kadalar swamp tree frog, mewing night frog and Kalakad gliding frog.

Earlier this year, the Munnar Frog Assembly at the Nature Education Centre in Eravikulam National Park included field sessions to identify frog habitats around the tea estates while also holding sessions to observe the behaviour of several key frog species, including the Anamalai gliding frog, Beddome’s bush frog and meowing night frog.

The Amphibian Recovery Project is a collaborative endeavour with Munnar’s Windermere Estates and Blackberry Hills. It also includes MoUs with KDHP (Kanan Devan Hills Plantations Company Pvt. Ltd.) and the Anaimudi Forest Development Agency – Munnar Wildlife Division, Kerala Forests and Wildlife Department. The project has ensured that amphibian conservation work now extends into the six protected areas in Munnar.