by Sean Flanagan
Grade 11 - Mass Academy Of Math & Science (Douglas, MA, United States)
Honorable Mention
The IUCN Red List is a database containing information on 16,000 individual species that are endangered. Allowing pollution and illegal hunting to harm these organisms could result in the collapse of our global food chain, and eventually the world. However, engineers have the power to protect all of the endangered species that are threatened today. One such animal in danger, is the Goliath Frog living in Equatorial Guinea and Cameroon. This amphibian is classified endangered on the IUCN Red List, as its population decreased by fifty percent in the last three generations. It is currently facing problems from the Cameroon timber industry destroying its habitat to capture for the pet trade to local hunting. At Goliath Engineering, our mission is to restore the species through captive breeding and environmental restoration while not disrupting the locals’ way of life. First, a habitat restoration program will be implemented, ratcheting up the call for conservation areas in Cameroon and Equatorial Guinea. Secondly, small-scale breeding farms will be put in local communities. They will be managed by locals who had been previously capturing the frogs to sell. A small percentage of the frogs will be bred for food and export, providing steady jobs to those who had hunted the frog. Lastly, many of the frogs will be released back into the wild to increase the species’ numbers. All of this can e achieved with the small start up amount of $25,000.
Background
The Goliath frog is the largest frog in the world. It can grow up to 3 feet long and weigh up to 7 pounds (Khandelwal, S. 2008. "Conraua goliath"). This giant is known to live in a range from southwestern Cameroon to Monte Alen in mainland Equatorial Guinea. Specifically, the goliath frog prefers fast-flowing rivers and streams in rainforests areas. The frogs breed in streams and small rivers, and the resultant young rest by flowing water during the day. The population has significantly declined in the last fifteen years. Around fifty percent of the frog’s population has disappeared, and the same has been predicted for the next fifteen years to come.
Threats
The Goliath frog is currently threatened by capture for pet trade and bushmeat hunting. The IUCN red list cites the timber industry and agricultural development as factors leading to the destruction of the Goliath frog’s habitat. However, the biggest threat to the frog is the bushmeat hunting. Bushmeat is any meat sold from animals that are caught in the wild. Throughout Africa, different types of bushmeat are sold. In Cameroon, roadside vendors sell the frogs to support themselves as their large bodies provide lots of meat for sale . Bushmeat can be a dangerous source of food. The Ebola virus was contracted after bat bushmeat was eaten in the Democratic Republic of The Congo.
The habitat of the goliath frog has been harmed by the agricultural development and timber industry in Cameroon and Equatorial Guinea. After the launch 3 years ago of the Agricultural Competitiveness Project, Cameroon’s agriculture industry has grown immensely. Clearing new land for farming has destroyed vital parts of the frog’s habitat. Because of their large size and jumping ability, many Goliath Frog’s are the subject to illegal exportation, for pets or frog competitions. The Equatorial Guinean government tried to regulate the export of the animals to 300 a year, but the illegal trading of these animals is still an issue.
Previous Action
Some organizations have taken small actions to try and help the frog get back on its feet. One research team paired up with Goliath Coffee, a coffee company donating a percentage of its profit to help restore the frog’s habitat. Another small community outreach program was initiated by the Amphibian Survival Alliance (ASA). This group partnered with the Cameroon Herpetology-Conservation Biology Foundation which is currently talking to local villages and educating the population enough to decrease hunting. Also, the group strives to restore parts of the frog’s habitat that have been disturbed. These projects are just small steps toward what needs to really get done to help the frog. The projects seek to restore the environment, based solely off of donations, an arduous process that could take decades. In conjunction, trying to change the frog’s hunter’s ways of life is impossible without providing an alternative source of income that would take the place of their hunting. Our project at Goliath Engineering will address what was not addressed in the previous attempts.
Goals
The main goals of our conservation efforts at Goliath Engineering would be in line with our 3 tiered approach to saving the world’s largest frog. First, restoring the environment, the rivers and streams that the frog relies on, that have been damaged by agricultural development and deforestation, would be vital. Secondly, the restoration of the number of frogs is imperative to us. We plan to restore the species while addressing the needs of local hunters, locals who eat the frog, and those who buy the frogs as pets or for sport.
Project Design
As stated above, the Goliath Engineering Restoration Project will be a 3 tiered project. Level one will consist of the environmental restoration. Our commitment to restoring the frog’s habitat will begin with the formation of a lobby, as well as conservation groups, to petition for more conservation areas in Cameroon and Equatorial Guinea. A social media campaign will be started to raise awareness for the frogs as well as get many involved. A subsequent GoFundMe page will be set up for any and all donations. This phase will last as long as can be sustained by the funding we receive.
The second tier of our project will integrate small scale “Goliath Farms” into the communities in Cameroon that hunt the animal the most. Our social outreach team will identify the communities that need these farms the most and the members of the community will build them. These farms will be a small 500 foot by 500 foot space, enclosed in insect netting, 8 feet high. These will be held up by metal posts and the height will not allow the massive frogs to jump out. These enclosures would be located where a portion of a local stream or river would be inside the enclosure. Metal plates and grates would be added to the bottom of the enclosure to allow running water to flow without letting the frogs escape. Based on our models, 100 frogs would be the maximum number inside the enclosures. This would provide 5 feet of space for each frog. The locals who used to hunt the frogs would care for, feed and harvest the frogs, and not harm the ones outside the enclosures. The production of these frogs would go to three different causes, our 3rd tier.
The first problem that this would solve is the harmful hunting of the frog. The locals who once hunted the frog to sell as bushmeat would now work for the farms, and use the frogs bred to sell. Next, a small percentage of the frogs harvested would be given to the local population as food, this way, we do not disrupt the local traditions in Cameroon. The majority of the frogs will be released into the wild, restoring the numbers of the species. Lastly, to account for some of the cost, a few frogs each year would be sold to pet traders or to competitions. Altogether, this program would account for the local culture, the local economy, the demand for pets and competitions, while restoring the species to a healthy number.
Cost
The materials for this project were evaluated by our price team. The netting and posts per “farm” will cost on average $1000.00. Based off this estimate, we would rely on the help of companies to donate to our cause as well as government, private, and grant funding to further the scope of our project. We look to have 25 of these farms installed by in 12 months. By then we would have our infrastructure in place. Goliath Engineering would be present in the area throughout the restoration time to inspect the farms regularly, provide materials, and take the frogs out for export. A high tax would be suggested by our lobby to increase the cost of buying a frog and maximize the return on investment of the frogs’ sale. For a start up of $25,000, and such a huge benefit, our project is the most worthy of your grant.
Benefits
Long-term effects are the focus of our project. After a decade of work, we would like to make our frog farms sustainable and widespread enough so that a dedicated company could step in and take over. This would happen on the condition that they agree to always release 25% of their frogs back into the wild. This combined with the restoration of the habitat and the creation of hopefully 5 more new conservation areas, will be effective in restoring the world’s largest frog to its former glory.
References
Bushmeat in West and Central Africa. Retrieved September 23, 2016, from https://www.zsl.org/conservation/regions/africa/bushmeat-in-west-and-central-africa
Endangered Earth – Promoting the Plight of Endangered Species and the Efforts to Save Them. Retrieved September 23, 2016, from http://www.endangeredearth.com/
Jean-Louis Amiet. 2004. Conraua goliath. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2004: e.T5263A11121365.http://dx.doi.org/10.2305/IUCN.UK.2004.RLTS.T5263A11121365.en. Downloaded on 23 September 2016.
Khandelwal, S. 2008. "Conraua goliath", Animal Diversity Web. Accessed September 23, 2016 at http://animaldiversity.org/accounts/Conraua_goliath/
Mosquito netting by the foot, roll, or Custom Mosquito Curtains. (n.d.). Retrieved September 23, 2016, from https://www.usnetting.com/agricultural-pest/pest-control-netting/mosquito-netting/
PROTECTING GOLIATH, THE WORLD’S LARGEST FROG. Retrieved September 23, 2016, from http://globalwildlife.org/our-work/regions/africa/goliath-frog/
Vancouver BC Coffee Roaster | Fresh Air Roasted Coffee to Order. Retrieved September 23, 2016, from http://goliathcoffee.com/