Ashish Thomas
- Project name: Population ecology, developmental history and conservation issues of Indian Purple Frog
- Project site: Western Ghats, India
- EDGE species: Purple frog Nasikabatrachus sahyadrensis
- Active: 2009 - 2010
Biography
Ashish completed his Masters degree at the University of Delhi and is now studying for his PhD.. His initial training during his Undergraduate and Masters degrees was heavily tilted towards molecular biology and biochemistry. However, after joining an amphibian lab for his doctoral program and choosing the Purple frog as his topic of research, his passion for biodiversity research and conservation was ignited.
Five years of chasing the world’s most elusive frog has strengthened Ashish’s resolve to work towards the conservation of amphibians in India, most importantly for the Purple frog.
EDGE Project
Ashish’s project aimed to develop effective conservation plans for the endangered Purple Frog by understanding its life history and behaviour, important aspects of its population and potential threats. For devising effective strategies for conservation, the focus was on the following objectives:
- Study the developmental history of Nasikabatrachus sahyadrensis (from eggs to fully metamorphosed adult) with special reference to tadpole ecology.
- Study the life style and ecology of Nasikabatrachus. Dietary habits, behavioural aspects, autecology and population ecology will be studied.
- Sample Nasikabatrachus from various locations in the southern Western Ghats to determine their accurate taxanomical identity.
Achievements
- Ashish won a Rufford Small Grant for a project that focuses on conservation of the Indian Purple frog through threat identification, area prioritization and community education.