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Abstract:
The critically endangered Titicaca Water Frog is unique, considerate largest completely aquatic frog in the world and is endemic to the Titicaca Lake in southern Peru, however, it is poorly recognized and little appreciated by the local communities who live around the Titicaca lake, most of whom live in poverty, its main threats are traffic for human consumption and water pollution, reducing its population by thousands of deaths every year. With “Perka Norte” community, we led environmental education activities (lessons and workshops), research involvement (training, expeditions and survey assistance), and direct conservation actions in 2017 and 2018, we invested a total 276 hours (108/2017, 168/2018) in education and population research activities, achieving a family participation rate of 81.45%; two underwater line transects (100m long each) was fastened to the lake bed were used to assess frog densities and population estimate using snorkel dive equipment, in 2018 (May to December) 70 individual frogs were registered, located at depths of 0.43-3.45m, using Program Distance 7.2, density estimate was 1116.7 ind/ha and population estimate was 44633 individuals (CV= 19.45%), within an area of 39.97 ha of community littoral zone of direct influence; conservation actions initiatives since 2017, included collection of inorganic garbage (trash) in the lake, children's participation in environmental education program, the encourage by the community to protect the frog through releasing trapped in fishing nets and report incidents to prevent frog extraction, ensuring the nature conservation that could be one place with highest frog population in all Titicaca Lake.

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