Eating frogs is a cultural practice in some parts of Ghana, but now a researcher there is studying the impact of this wild harvesting.
Ghana is home to an estimated 78 frogs, including three endemic species: Baumann’s reed frog (Hyperolius baumanni), lime reed frog (Hyperolius fusciventris) and Bobiri reed frog (Hyperolius sylvaticus).
Sandra Owusu-Gyamfi, an amphibian biologist and final year PhD candidate at the University of Ghana explains that frog consumption is not widespread in Ghana, but in some northern parts of country, it appears that frog consumption is a long-term held culture practice.
“Bushmeat consumption is a common practice in Ghana and sub-saharan Africa, where bushmeat simply refers to wild animals used as a source of protein,” she says.
Owusu-Gyamfi explains that the frogs most targeted for consumption tend to be large-bodied species such as the crowned bullfrog, Hoplobactrachus occipitalis.
“I am looking at the impacts of harvesting on the population of consumed individuals,” she says, “We are not pushing for any strategies to convince people not to eat frogs because any such policy will have to be backed by scientific evidence that the practice is not sustainable.”
Owusu-Gyamfi explains that she hopes her research will help inform policies to regulate the collection of one of the least protected groups in Africa, possibly because they are non-charismatic.
“The extraction of frogs as food in West Africa is believed to be on the rise, however, it is a highly localized and undocumented activity hence, no evidence on the volumes or whether this is sustainable for ecosystems and local people’s livelihoods,” she says, “This study will provide the baseline evidence that can shed light on the impacts such unrestricted activity is having for exploited species.”
Inspired by Jane Goodall
Owusu-Gyamfi was born in Dompa, Ghana, on the fringes of Lake Bosumtwi, a lake nestled in a meteorite impact crater, where she noted people generally lived in harmony with nature.
Owusu-Gyamfi explains that her “Eureka” moment came later in life, when she was studying her undergraduate environmental science degree at the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology and saw videos of world-renowned primatologist Dr. Jane Goodall.
“There was something so special about what she was doing which instantly drew me in (I do not know what exactly this was); whether it was her daring nature, curiosity, or the new data her resolve had helped contribute to science,” she says, “This new passion was stirred up in me and I made it my new mission to pursue a career in biodiversity conservation.”
Owusu-Gyamfi explains that it isn’t right for scientists from the Global South to be sidelined because they may be perceived to be handicapped or not so knowledgeable.
“Even if that were to be the case, we need to be given the support and resources (both from within and external sources) because we live closest to these biodiversity hotspots,” she says, “It will make more sense to have the fire truck close to the fire-prone landscape than to have it sited miles away.”
Another barrier for scientists from the Global South is the difficulty in acquiring visas, curtailing their participation in international conferences.
In a 2024 Nature opinion piece, Owusu-Gyamfi wrote about how most of those rejected for short terms visas are from Africa or Asia.
She explains that a new approach is needed because institutions and individuals from low- and middle-income countries are wasting time, effort and money trying to get visas for research travel, only to be rejected.
Glass Frogs In Colombia
Another researcher studying the frogs of their home country is Luisa Fernanda Arcila-Pérez, a biologist from Colombia’s Universidad del Quindío.
Colombia has dozens of species of glass frog and they even feature on the latest 500 Colombian Peso coin, but there is still more study to be done to identify the many knowledge gaps, for example, determining which physical characteristics are important for identifying different species.
Arcila-Pérez says that although the frog was first identified in 2016, it was a five year process to collect physical data of both adults and tadpoles, the distinctiveness of their calls and genetic sequences.
“These data describe a new species of glass frog (Nymphargus pijao sp. nov.) endemic to Colombia that had been previously missasigned to Nymphargus griffithsi,” she says, “This research allows species to be classified for their correct identification and monitoring of their populations, which in turn can contribute to the management and conservation of biodiversity.”
