Arpithamol “Arpitha” Joy is one of Conservation Nation’s 2024 conservationist grant recipients. Hailing from Chikmagalur, Karnataka, India, she developed an interest in nature and wildlife coexistence at a young age.
Arpitha has a master’s in applied zoology and is pursuing a PhD in zoology at Christ University in Bengaluru, Karnataka, India. In 2022, Apitha was awarded a two-year Zoological Society of London EDGE Fellowship to study Dattatreya night frog ecology, behavior, and conservation needs. Her current research focuses on night frogs (genus Nyctibatrachus) and dancing frogs (genus Micrixalus), including their acoustics, behavior, habitat preferences, and threats they face. She is also studying local attitudes toward the frogs and their habitats.
Promoting the Conservation of Night and Dancing Frogs
Arphitha’s project will focus on the endemic and endangered stream-dwelling night and dancing frogs of the Chandra Drona Parvatha massif (mountain cluster) in the Central Western Ghats mountain range of Chikmagalur, Karnataka, India. Unregulated tourism has led to increasing numbers of visitors to the area and an uptick in littering, pollution, and disturbance of local freshwater habitats. During past interactions with students, locals, and tourists in the area, Arpitha found that many individuals lack awareness of how their actions might negatively impact native amphibians.
To close the awareness gap, Arpitha plans to collaborate with artists to create ten interactive signs promoting conservation awareness and fostering positive attitudes about local amphibians and their freshwater habitats. She will also publish a manuscript detailing the unique breeding behavior of Dattatreya night frogs (females lay eggs on rock surfaces in a handstand position while their mate encases them in mud). Arpitha believes her study will underscore this unique species’ extraordinary adaptations and reinforce the need to conserve their natural habitat.
