Amphibians, the subgroup containing frogs, toads, salamanders, and dozens of other semi-aquatic animals, have been facing a very hard time ecologically. Nearly half of all amphibious species are threatened to extinction, and hundreds are endangered. Already dozens have joined their dinosaur ancestry and are gone...forever.
According to a fairly recent National Geographic article, amphibians have stuck it through other past times of mass-extinction, even maintaining 95% of their species existence through the extinction of the dinosaurs. However, habitat destruction, the introduction of exotic species, commercial exploitation, and water pollution are working together to put up the biggest fight the amphibians have ever fought. And then there is chytridiomycosis, a fungal infection (chytrid for short), which wipes through the amphibians lake by lake, pond by pond, like some sort of biblical plague...just killing off the frogs instead of dropping them from heaven.
Chytrid has been reported on all continents where frogs live and in 43 countries, including 36 U.S. states. This fungus can survive at elevations of sea level to 20,000 feet, killing nearly anything in its path and moving from frog legs to bird feathers to hikers' boots, afflicting at least
200 species. In the words of Australian researcher Lee Berger, the first to really understand the danger of chytrid, "The impact of chytridiomycosis on frogs is the most spectacular loss of vertebrate biodiversity due to disease in recorded history."Our actions as the human race has also endangered these dying amphibians. In attempts to "transform" the barren lakes into paradises for fishermen, the California Department of Fish and Game began to stock these lakes with trout in the 1950's. Apparently, they didn't think very hard about the repercussions of stocking lakes that had laid barren of trout for generation. Trout, you see, kind of have to eat. And so the amphibian population began its sharp decline and the National Park Service had to empty the lakes of their folly. Not to mention our rampant habitat destruction and general destructive tendencies
Amidst all the drama, there is a solution, a way for us to ally with the amphibians and help them win this war. The Amphibian Ark, a group of froggy saviors, has been working since 2000 and is still active, fighting against chytrid and whatever else is killing off the amphibians faster than they've ever died before. They started rescuing frogs by the thousands; depositing them in zoos, aquariums, and even hotels (for the classiest frogs, I'm sure) where they would be safe from fungal infections or other death threats. The AArk program has evolved over the years, growing larger and more effective. As stated on the program's website,
"Our vision is the world’s amphibians safe in nature, and our mission is ensuring
the global survival of amphibians, focusing on those that cannot currently be
safeguarded in nature."
The worldwide status of the amphibians is so alarming, one of the best conservation measures will be breeding in zoos and aquariums, breeding led by the AArk. According to the Global Amphibian Assessment, one-quarter of the nearly 1000 Afrotropical amphibious species are threatened with extinction, and only 5% of all Afrotropical species are being maintained in zoos and aquariums. After years of work, the AArk still have a long way to go. They also held a campaign in 2008 to raise awareness among governments, media, educators, and the general public of the amphibians' plight. They intended to support a capital campaign to fund conservation programs worldwide.
Alongside Amphibian Ark, there are plenty of opportunities for improvement with the amphibians. These solutions include:
- Raising awareness about the global amphibian crisis via the Internet, newsletters and global campaigns.
- Developing new partnerships, and helping to strengthen existing ones, between amphibian conservation organisations.
- Developing and running conservation training courses in regions and countries where additional expertise is required.
- Facilitating conservation needs assessment workshops, and making the results of these workshops available to the wider amphibian conservation community.
- Promoting the successes that our partners are achieving with their existing amphibian conservation programs.
- Initiating Advisory Committees to assist our partners with population management, biobanking, husbandry/biosecurity and other technical areas.
- Raising funds to help support much-needed conservation programs, by applying for grants and by promoting contributions from the corporate sector and the general public.
- Providing grants to fund small start-up projects in order to build successful long-term programs that attract larger funding.
- Facilitating communication amongst the amphibian conservation community by providing a contact list of amphibian expertise throughout the world.
- Protecting the existing ponds and wetlands by building elsewhere.
- Visiting local zoos and aquariums as well as offering donations.
- Working with local wetland conservation groups.
- Donating directly to the Amphibian Ark project.
We can't let the amphibians of our world die out, and we can't stand idly by as they are at risk. For once, the sturdy frog race are the damsels in distress. It's our turn to be the princes in disguise.
Holland, J. (2009). Amphibian Loss Retrieved January 20, 2011, from http://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/2009/04/amphibian/holland-text/1
Pavajeau, L.; Zippel, K. C.; Gibson, R.; Johnson, K. (2008). Amphibian ark and the 2008 year of the frog campaign Retrieved January 22, 2011, from http://apps.isiknowledge.com/full_record.do?product=BIOSIS&search_mode=GeneralSearch&qid=1&SID=2F6hI22dJ4CG5ePN@F9&page=1&doc=4
Loetters, S. (2008). Afrotropical amphibians in zoos and aquariums: will they be on the ark? Retrieved January 21, 2011, from http://apps.isiknowledge.com/full_record.do?product=BIOSIS&search_mode=GeneralSearch&qid=1&SID=2F6hI22dJ4CG5ePN@F9&page=1&doc=3
All images are from http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Main_Page
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