MEYAJ UTIAL U K’AOTAL MUCHOOB UT K’AAXIL MAYA

Member List

Species List

Protocol

Site Locations

Site Descriptions

Summary Data

Links

More Information

Introduction

The Maya Forest Anuran Monitoring Project (MAYAMON) was initiated in 1997 as a project of the Belize Working Group of the Declining Amphibian Populations Task Force. The stimulus for the project came from the efforts underway in the United States and Canada under the umbrella of the North American Amphibian Monitoring Project, although the protocol utilized by MAYAMON had to be modified to accommodate conditions existing in the Maya Forest region. In the first year, only sites in Belize were monitored, but in 1998 the effort was expanded to include sites in the Mexican state of Quintana Roo. In 1999, additional sites will be added in the Department of El Petén in Guatemala. The surveys are based on vocalization counts of calling male anurans.

The MAYAMON project is the first of its kind to be undertaken in Middle America, and operates entirely as a voluntary effort, receiving no financial support for its activities. Participants are all biologists living in the country where each carries out their monitoring surveys. In addition to the monitoring participants, the group is linked by a coordinator and assisted by a scientific advisor. All surveys are conducted using a standardized protocol, which was developed specifically for this project.

Although each participant agrees to monitor for a minimum of five years, it is anticipated that most, if not all, of the sites will be monitored for a much longer period. The initial focus of the project is on developing baseline population data on relatively common species of frogs and toads, as well as the augmentation of existing information on the breeding phenology of the different species. The ultimate goal of the project is to maintain a regional network capable of giving early warnings of population declines of frogs and toads.  Click here to see pictures and life histories of the species, and check back often for updates.

At the close of each monitoring season, June to November in this part of the tropics, the project coordinator compiles graphic representations of the survey data that have been submitted to him by participants throughout the season.The raw data are maintained by the coordinator in a database until such time as they can be statistically analyzed in a computer program to determine population trends. In addition to calling surveys, data are collected on precipitation to determine the degree to which rainfall distribution and frequency may affect the various species of anurans being monitored.

In 1997, 10 sites were monitored by 5 participants, while during 1998, 12 participants monitored 21 sites (click here to view photos and site descriptions). During 1999, approximately 27 sites are scheduled to be monitored by 14 participants (click here to see a map of the region and all site locations).

During the 1999 monitoring season, this site will be updated as information is supplied to the coordinator from the participants in the field. Quantitative data will be kept in the project’s database until such time as scientific publications result, but trends, observations, and special information of interest will be added here from time to time.

Contact Information

Persons wishing to comment, ask for additional information, or become a participant in the project should contact Jack Meyer at:
jraymeyer@hotmail.com.

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Links

MAYAMON Home page

Belize Biodiversity Information System of the Wildlife Conservation Society

Declining Amphibian Populations Task Force

North American Amphibian Monitoring Project

Biodiversity and Biological Collections Web Server

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Special thanks to Santos Alvarado, Rogelio Cedeño Vasquez, Julian Lee, Carolyn Miller, Jeff Waldon, and the Conservation Management Institute (formerly the Fish and Wildlife Information Exchange)

Questions or comments about this website?  Contact sm
Page last updated Feb. 24, 2000
 

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For a Spanish translation of this page, click on Babel Fish