Amphibians are very sensitive to changes in the environment, including air and water quality, and thus are the world's "canaries in the coal mine". One-third of the world's amphibian species are at high risk of extinction.

Date:   9/21/2005 12:09:08 AM ( 19 y ago)

 AMPHIBIANS: THE ASSESSMENT

Amphibians in deep trouble

Naturalists describe amphibians as sensitive indicators of the health of the wider environment. They describe amphibians as "the canaries in the coal mine", as their highly permeable skins are very sensitive to environmental changes, including in water and air quality.   Russell Mittermeier, president of Conservation International, said: "Amphibians are one of Nature's best indicators of overall environmental health. "Their catastrophic decline serves as a warning that we are in a period of significant environmental degradation." (Researcher) Simon Stuart ..said: "Since most amphibians depend on fresh water and feel the effects of pollution before many other forms of life, including humans, their rapid decline tells us that one of Earth's most critical life support systems is breaking down." Excerpt from: "Global amphibians in deep trouble" By Alex Kirby http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/3743682.stm About a third of all amphibian species are at a high risk of extinction. "Many species have already become extinct through habitat loss," Rohan Pethiyagoda, deputy chair of IUCN's species survival commission, told the BBC News website. "The extent of these declines and extinctions is without precedent in any class of animals over the last few millennia." Plotting the decline According to the Global Amphibian Assessment, a vast and authoritative study which reported its findings last year, almost a third of the 5,743 known species are at risk of extinction; up to 122 have disappeared within the last 25 years. (There are) six major reasons behind the decline: habitat loss and degradation climate change chemical contamination infectious disease, notably the fungal infection chytridiomycosis invasive species over-harvesting Early warning? Many (researchers) emphasise the importance of putting amphibian decline in the context of broader environmental change and its impact on human societies. "We all know that amphibian decline is just the first manifestation of synergies between different factors," said Tom Lovejoy, the president of the Heinz Center for Science, Economics and the Environment in Washington. "We're living in this global soup of chemicals; there's climate change, the oceans are already a tenth of a percent more acid than they were. "So, by finding ways to manage the first manifestation of these negative synergies, we'll be better able to deal with other manifestations what will occur in the future." But others were less optimistic: "I would be optimistic if people started doing something about the underlying issues such as climate change and pollution," said Professor Tim Halliday, international director of the Declining Amphibians Task Force. "But there's no sign that these things are changing."   Excerpt from: Global plan to rescue amphibians By Richard Black Environment Correspondent, BBC News website, Washington DC http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/4262384.stm

WHAT ARE AMPHIBIANS? Group includes frogs, toads, salamanders and caecilians. First successful terrestrial vertebrates 350m years ago Adapted to many different aquatic and terrestrial habitats. Present today on every continent except Antarctica. Undergo metamorphosis, from larvae to adults. More than 1,800 amphibian species are in difficulties (Image: Forrest Brun/Roberto Benes)

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