Presentation By José Alfredo Hernández Díaz
On March 28, 2026 — the inaugural World Salamander Day — SAVE THE FROGS! Founder Dr. Kerry Kriger was joined by José Alfredo Hernández Díaz, founder of Conservación de Anfibios A.C., based out of Puebla, Mexico. José Alfredo presented on the Cuetzalan Cloudforest Amphibian Sanctuary — a private reserve he established to protect the critically endangered Cuetzalan Salamander (Aquiloeurycea quetzalanensis) and the cloud forest biodiversity it depends on. Watch the video below!
The Cuetzalan Salamander
The Cuetzalan Salamander is a micro-endemic species found only within a range of approximately 50 square kilometers in the Sierra Madre Oriental of Puebla, Mexico. It inhabits the mesophilic mountain forest — one of the most biodiverse and most threatened terrestrial ecosystems in the country. More than 60% of salamander species worldwide are threatened with extinction, and the Cuetzalan Salamander is listed as Critically Endangered, facing severe pressure from deforestation, agricultural expansion, and urban growth.
About Conservación de Anfibios A.C.
Founded in 2022 by José Alfredo Hernández Díaz, Conservación de Anfibios A.C. is a Mexican NGO dedicated to the protection of amphibians and their habitats. The organization runs the Cuetzalan Cloudforest Amphibian Sanctuary in Coahuatichan, Puebla — a private protected area that was established specifically because the Cuetzalan Salamander had no legal protection and was absent from all existing protected areas in Mexico. Learn more at conservacion-anfibios.org.
The Cuetzalan Cloudforest Amphibian Sanctuary
After identifying viable salamander populations across several forest patches beginning in 2020, the team secured funding from the World Land Trust to purchase an 8-hectare property in 2022. Last year, a second adjacent parcel of 6 hectares was acquired, bringing the sanctuary to 14 hectares of protected cloud forest. The reserve now shelters 17 of the 23 amphibian species recorded in the Cuetzalan region, alongside 62 bird species, 41 butterfly species, 10 mammal species, 12 reptile species, and more than 6,000 individual tree ferns — a species harvested locally for crafts and highly vulnerable outside the reserve.
Using a Salamander as a Flagship Species
Much as jaguars are used to justify protection of large wilderness areas, the Cuetzalan Salamander serves as a flagship species for the cloud forest ecosystem. By centering conservation efforts on this small, striking amphibian, Conservación de Anfibios has been able to protect a far broader community of plants and animals — including several undescribed salamander species currently being formally documented by the team.
Reasons for Hope
Reforestation works. One of the highest salamander densities found during the team’s surveys — an estimated 225 individuals in just 2 hectares — was recorded in a forest only 14 years old. This demonstrates that restored and regenerating habitat can support robust amphibian populations, and that conservation actions started today can yield meaningful results within a generation.
📅 Mark your calendar: World Salamander Day is March 28 every year — join us for the 2nd Annual World Salamander Day on March 28, 2027!
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Photo above: Salamandra Negra (Aquiloeurycea sp.) Photo atop page: Salamandra De Cuetzalan (Aquiloeurycea Quetzalanensis). Both photos courtesy José Alfredo Hernández Díaz.