Alianza Jambato
Foundation that seeks to unite efforts for the conservation of threatened biodiversity, based on an integral, multi and interdisciplinary conservation model, grounded in evidence and environmental education; and that actively involves local communities, recognizing their local and cultural context. We were born with our emblematic jambato conservation project (Atelopus ignescens), an endemic harlequin frog from Ecuador and critically threatened with extinction.
About Alianza Jambato
Alianza Jambato is a non-governmental, non-profit organization that was born by bringing together an interdisciplinary team of professionals and national and international institutions to work for the conservation of threatened biodiversity, species, and ecosystems.
Our framework of action includes the design, implementation, and execution of conservation programs that encompass projects for protecting and increasing vulnerable species populations and habitats, research, environmental education, community engagement, environmental communication, and sustainability.
Five years after the rediscovery of the jambato, an emblematic frog of the Ecuadorian highlands, researchers and community leaders are joining forces to conserve it.
The jambato toad (Atelopus ignescens) is a small frog that was once historically abundant but suddenly disappeared in the late 1980s; its last record dated from 1988. In 2004, it was declared extinct by the IUCN. However, it was rediscovered in 2016 in the parish of Angamarca, in Cotopaxi Province (Pujilí Canton). David Jailaca, a 12-year-old boy, found it while cutting alfalfa near his home. To him, it was just another local toad, as he didn’t know it was such a sought-after species. Only when he heard that a reward was being offered for finding it did he realize how special it was. After this, it was confirmed that the jambato still survived in this remote valley.
The Jambatu Center for Amphibian Research and Conservation led this campaign, after which an emergency assisted-breeding program was launched and has been successful. However, no efforts had been made to conserve the wild population in its last refuge.
Five years after the rediscovery of the jambato, an emblematic frog of the Ecuadorian highlands, researchers and community leaders are joining forces to conserve it.
The jambato toad (Atelopus ignescens) is a small frog that was once historically abundant but suddenly disappeared in the late 1980s; its last record dated from 1988. In 2004, it was declared extinct by the IUCN. However, it was rediscovered in 2016 in the parish of Angamarca, in Cotopaxi Province (Pujilí Canton). David Jailaca, a 12-year-old boy, found it while cutting alfalfa near his home. To him, it was just another local toad, as he didn’t know it was such a sought-after species. Only when he heard that a reward was being offered for finding it did he realize how special it was. After this, it was confirmed that the jambato still survived in this remote valley.
The Jambatu Center for Amphibian Research and Conservation led this campaign, after which an emergency assisted-breeding program was launched and has been successful. However, no efforts had been made to conserve the wild population in its last refuge.
Angamarca
Último refugio conocido del jambato
The last known refuge of the jambato is located in Angamarca, a parish situated on the western Andean mountain range in Cotopaxi province. The area is rich in history, culture, and landscapes. However, contrary to what might be expected, the jambato was not found in pristine areas, but rather in pastures and farmlands. Thus, the jambato lives very close to the inhabitants of the parish.
Since the foundation’s beginning, we have worked closely with the communities and parish authorities, who are our main allies. Our work involves experiential place-based environmental education, knowledge exchange, and community science. In addition to workshops and field outings with children, adolescents, and adults, we also have local assistants who work alongside the researchers.
We seek to build and strengthen capacities and raise awareness among local residents so they learn to value and care for the jambato. The jambato is becoming a flagship species that will allow us to expand conservation efforts to other threatened species in the area.
El jambato
El nombre científico del jambato, Atelopus ignescens, se debe al fuerte contraste negro-naranja entre su espalda y su vientre, semejante a un carbón encendido: "ignescens" significa "incandescente" en latín. Su nombre común deriva de la palabra kichwa "jampatu", que significa sapo. Esto es porque era tan abundante, que prácticamente era la imagen de "sapo" para sus vecinos humanos. Era frecuente en pajonales, potreros, y alrededor de ciudades como Latacunga, Quito y Ambato. Esta última ciudad debe su nombre a este sapito.
Es una especie diurna, terrestre y de movimientos lentos. Se reproduce en ríos de aguas corrientes, a partir de un abrazo nupcial conocido como amplexus. La hembra deposita los huevos en ríos y riachuelos, y sus renacuajos viven bajo las piedras, gracias a una ventosa que les permite adherirse fuertemente.
En nuestra fundación realizamos visitas mensuales para aprender más sobre la biología de este sapito, del que todavía nos falta mucho por conocer.
Milestones
Primeros fondos — Amphibian Survival Alliance
Segundos fondos — Stiftung Artenschutz
Compromiso comunitario
Estrategias de conservación in situ
Alianza sin precedentes
Resolución parroquial aprobada
Día del Jambato y Santuario del Jambato
Sitio AZE y primera KBA de anfibio en Ecuador
Más de 25 instituciones aliadas
Future Leader of Amphibian Conservation
Iniciativa emblema — Atelopus Survival Initiative
Creación de la Fundación Alianza Jambato
Gobiernos Autónomos Descentralizados se suman
Publicación científica en PeerJ
Guía de Anfibios y Reptiles de Angamarca
100% de instituciones educativas alcanzadas
Beca Synchronicity Earth — Congreso Mundial de Herpetología
Premio de Educación y Liderazgo Ambiental 2024
Beca Touzet-Velasco-Romo — USFQ
Plan de Acción participativo
Medida cautelar — Juzgado de Pujilí
Acción de Protección — Jueza de Riobamba
Sentencia — 6 medidas de reparación
Informe de veeduría — incumplimientos documentados
Inspección judicial — daños activos documentados
Audiencias suspendidas — comunicado urgente
The Second Chance of the Jambato: Science, Community, and Global Awareness
Protegiendo el Jambato
Liderando la conservación del Jambato: María del Carmen Vizcaíno transforma comunidades con ciencia y pasión. Su trabajo al frente de la Alianza Jambato ha sido reconocido por Forbes Ecuador como un ejemplo de liderazgo ambiental que combina rigor científico con un profundo compromiso comunitario.
Leer en ForbesThe International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) features Alianza Jambato in a publication shared by Leonardo DiCaprio.
In May 2022, the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) published an article recounting the rediscovery of the páramo black jambato (Atelopus ignescens) and the creation of Alianza Jambato as a model of collaborative conservation between local communities, scientists, and partner organizations. This inspiring story was shared on social media by actor and environmental activist Leonardo DiCaprio, bringing a message of hope and action for Ecuadorian biodiversity to a global audience.
The #Jambato Harlequin Toad vanished in the 1980s & for years it was lost, until 2016 when a young boy rediscovered it. A new alliance of Atelopus Survival Initiative partners is now working together to save this species. #ElJambato https://t.co/qGeEo8RI4Y
— Leonardo DiCaprio (@LeoDiCaprio) July 14, 2022
THE JAMBATO: FROM A SYMBOL OF EXTINCTION TO ONE OF HOPE
The black páramo jambatoAtelopus ignescenswas once a common toad in the Ecuadorian Andes until it mysteriously disappeared in the 1980s. Decades later, its unexpected rediscovery sparked new hope for its conservation.
This video tells the story of how a species declared possibly extinct managed to survive in a small valley, and how local communities, researchers, and allies have come together to protect it. It is a story of collaboration, resilience, and second chances that invites everyone to join the effort to prevent its permanent disappearance.
THE JAMBATO: FROM A SYMBOL OF EXTINCTION TO ONE OF HOPE
The black páramo jambatoAtelopus ignescenswas once a common toad in the Ecuadorian Andes until it mysteriously disappeared in the 1980s. Decades later, its unexpected rediscovery sparked new hope for its conservation.
This video tells the story of how a species declared possibly extinct managed to survive in a small valley, and how local communities, researchers, and allies have come together to protect it. It is a story of collaboration, resilience, and second chances that invites everyone to join the effort to prevent its permanent disappearance.
Jambato Negro: A Song to Remember
An emotional composition from the project “Harlequin Frogs, the Jewels of Our Forests and Páramos,” performed by Jacana Jacana and illustrated by Selva Selvita, celebrating the story and spirit of the jambato in the Ecuadorian Andes.
