Taking the Leap: A Binational Translocation Effort to Close the 420-Km Gap in the Baja California Lineage of the California Red-Legged Frog (Rana draytonii)

Conservation translocations, the human-mediated movement and release of a living organism for conservation benefit, are increasingly recommended in species’ recovery plans as technique mitigating population declines or augmenting genetic diversity. However, translocation protocols species with broad distributions may require regionally specific considerations to increase success, environmental gradients pose different constraints on establishment persistence parts range. Here we report ongoing, genetically informed translocations threatened amphibian, California red-legged frog ( Rana draytonii ), from Baja California, México, extirpated range southern United States, where contemporary stressors related urbanization, invasive species, aridification add natural challenges already present amphibians at this ‘warm edge’ We describe collaborative binational planning required jumpstart effort, fine-tuning collection, transport, headstarting, individuals, results multiple time will tell whether successes date have reached their full potential. The steps outlined paper can serve template inform future imperiled across U.S./México border, phylogenetics, historical biogeography habitat availability focal blind political boundaries critical guiding actions