Biodiversity conservation is at a critical moment. We live in an era that has been labeled as the sixth mass extinction of biodiversity, which is largely attributable to a single species, Homo sapiens (Guayasamin et al., 2013).

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Amphibian species (frogs, salamanders, and caecilians) are undoubtedly one of the most threatened and endangered taxonomic groups, more so than any other taxon, which has left specialists in the field perplexed (Wake & Vredenburg, 2008). Recent studies have established that impacts such as habitat modification and/or fragmentation, overexploitation, climate change, invasive species, pollution, UV-B radiation, chytridiomycosis among other pathogens, and synergistic interactions are some of the main causes of amphibian population decline globally (Whitfield et al., 2016).

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Due to their ecological and cultural importance, as well as their potential to contribute to human well-being, amphibians are valuable resources in the countries where they reside. Ecuador is privileged in this regard, as it hosts the third-largest amphibian fauna in the world, with a total of 653 species. Only Brazil and Colombia have more amphibian species than Ecuador (Bioweb, 2021).