Ranching Dendrobates

completed

The proposed project will establish a business that will sustainably breed, harvest and export Poison Dart Frogs (PDF''s) that live in the rainforests of Peru. These frogs, which are spectacularly colored and display an interesting behavior, fetch a high price in the international pet trade. The U.S.A, Europe and Japan have steadily growing PDF markets.The production method only functions in standing forests. It was invented after meticulous study of the frogs’ breeding cycle. The female glues her eggs onto a leaf, above the ground in a tree. When the tadpoles hatch, the male puts them on his back and carries them to water, typically in the crook of a leaf. The female then raises her young by feeding them unfertilized eggs.Research has shown that the limiting factor of the population is the number of suitable breeding sites. The production method consists of placing artificial breeding sites in the frogs’ natural habitat. These greatly enhance breeding success, thereby allowing the "surplus" of PDFs to be harvested from the bottles, put in grow-out cages on the forest floor, and then exported as juvenile frogs.Although the economics of the business appear to be strong, its novel and unprecedented nature makes it difficult to obtain standard commercial finance. Although this proposal recently won the World Bank''s Innovation in the Marketplace competition, additional funding is needed to fully capitalize the business and carry out essential preparatory activities (e.g., training of customs officials). Therefore, IFC has submitted a proposal to the GEF it order to help catalyze this exciting new venture. In doing so, IFC will make an important contribution to global efforts to find viable ways to monetize the economic value inherent in biodiversity in a manner that encourages conservation of biodiversity resources. The frog export business – with expected annual revenues of about $300,000 in Year 3 – will provide supplemental livelihoods to more than 250 campesinos and give them an incentive to preserve over 15,000 hectares of tropical forest.