Lozano's efforts to replace illegally captured poison dart frogs have made him well known among collectors in the United States, who are increasingly seeking legally traded specimens.
"Before there was no way you could get a histrionica legally," said Julio Rodriguez, an experienced New York City collector, referring to the harlequin poison frog by its scientific name. "If you saw one in a collection, it most likely came from the black market."
Rodriguez said that since Treasures of Colombia began exporting frogs to the US six years ago prices for some coveted species have dropped significantly.
The price tag on the harlequin frog dropped by 50 per cent, he said. The golden dart frog, another much-sought species, went from around US$150 ($230) a few years ago to US$30.
"We want prices to go down so much that it's no longer profitable for traffickers to sell these frogs," Lozano explained.
He said his company also helps collectors breed their own frogs, so they can flood the market with legally raised specimens, taking pressure off those living in the wild. The frogs raised in captivity by Lozano are no longer poisonous, because they have a different diet than wild specimens. But collectors still seek them for their brilliant colour patterns.
"We make ourselves sustainable by moving on to new species," said Lozano, who already has permits to export seven species, including the red lehmani, a frog so rare collectors refer to it as "the Holy Grail".
- AP