Hands-on education a hit in biodiversity hot-spot

Abstract

Aquatic environment A s the sun sets, the choir starts a vaguely organised array of snores, rings, whistles and pings. The audience is ready for the show, donning the necessary headlamps and plastic bags. This is no ordinary performance, especially not from the elated crowd. Rather, it is a somewhat alternative choice of entertainment, especially for a weekend in the countryside. Welcome to Frog Night, an annual highlight in Chrissiesmeer, Mpumalanga, for the past 13 years. Located just over 20 km from Carolina, a stone’s throw from the Swaziland border, the Chrissiesmeer village itself is but a handful of streets surrounded by a lively community dependent mainly on farming and forestry. A small sign at the entrance provides the first clue to where the town’s priorities lie, as it warns drivers to slow down…for the frogs. “This is probably the only town where you will have rocks thrown at your car if you run over a frog, ” the barmaid in the town’s oldest, and only hotel, says cheerfully.

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