2023-10-04 17:00:03
A study, based on the second global amphibian assessment by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), points to climate change as one of the greatest threats to amphibians: frogs, toads, salamanders and caecilians. The work, which is published today in the journal Nature, analyzes data from the last two decades collected around the world.
The research team, which has relied on data from more than 1,000 experts from around the world, has analyzed the risk of extinction of more than 8,000 species of amphibians (2,286 evaluated for the first time) and concludes that two out of every five amphibians could disappear.
The work represents an update of the evaluation that the IUCN carried out in 2004 and that established a reference base for monitoring trends and measuring the impact of conservation actions. That report already revealed the accelerated extinction that amphibians were facing.
Today, according to new data collected, almost 41% of all amphibian species that have been assessed are vulnerable, endangered or critically endangered. This figure contrasts with 26.5% for mammals, 21.4% for reptiles and 12.9% for birds.
The destruction and degradation of habitat exacerbated by the effects of climate change, affects 93% of all threatened amphibian species and demonstrates that the expansion of protected areas
Between 2004 and 2022, some critical factors have brought more than 300 amphibians dangerously close to extinction. Climate change was the main threat for 39% of these species and this number is expected to increase as better data and projections become available on the responses of a group of species particularly sensitive to environmental changes in their environment. In fact, the destruction and degradation of habitat exacerbated by the effects of climate change, affects 93% of all threatened amphibian species and demonstrates that the expansion of protected areas and environmental corridors that connect habitats will continue to be essential.
The Near Eastern fire salamander (‘Salamandra infraimmaculata’) is a species of Least Concern photographed in Israel. / © Robin Moore / Re:wild
“As humans drive changes in the climate and reduce the availability of habitats where they can live, amphibians’ chances of survival are reduced, since they cannot escape the increase in the frequency and intensity of extreme heat, fires, forests, droughts and hurricanes induced by climate change,” says Jennifer Luedtke Swandby, director of the Re:wild species alliances, coordinator at the IUCN and one of the main authors of the article. “Our study shows that we can no longer underestimate these threats. Protecting and restoring rainforests and forests is essential not only to safeguard biodiversity, but also to confront climate change,” she emphasizes.
The extinction of four amphibian species has been documented since 2004: the Chiriquí harlequin toad from Costa Rica, Atelopus chiriquiensis; the sharp-nosed diurnal frog from Australia, Taudactylus acutirostris; the rana, Craugastor myllomyllon and the false Jalpa brook salamander, Pseudoeurycea exspectata, both from Guatemala. Another 27 species rated critically endangered are now considered possibly extinct, bringing the total to more than 160.
Another 27 species rated critically endangered are now considered possibly extinct, bringing the total to more than 160.
The evaluation also found that 120 species improved their status on the Red List since 1980. More than half of this group, 63 species, increased their populations thanks to the conservation, protection and habitat management measures that have been developed during this time. .
Added to the disappearance of habitats is the disease caused by the chytrid fungus, Batrachochytrium dendrobatidiswhich has already erased numerous species of amphibians from the planet.
“The greater frequency of severe droughts and tropical storms caused by climate change significantly increases the vulnerability of amphibians to the chytrid fungus,” explains the researcher at the National Museum of Natural Sciences (MNCN-CSIC). Patricia A. Burrowes.
A gliding tree frog (‘Agalychnis spurrelli’) perched on a branch with mushrooms in Costa Rica’s Osa Peninsula. / Robin Moore, Re:wild
Global protection
“The history of amphibian conservation itself demonstrates how vital this information is,” he says. Adam Sweidan, president and co-founder of Synchronicity Earth. “If the IUCN Red List had been updated on a scale similar to today’s in the 1970s, we would have been able to track the sweeping amphibian disease pandemic 20 years before it devastated their populations. It’s not too late: we have “In terms of information, we have the Action Plan for the Conservation of Amphibians, but the plans and information are not enough. We have to act now.”
This study is essential to help develop a conservation action plan, prioritize global conservation actions, seek additional resources, and influence policies that can help reverse the negative trend for amphibians.
Amphibians are disappearing faster than we can study them, but the list of reasons to protect them is long and includes their role in medicine or pest control
Kelsey Neam, Re:wild Species Priorities and Metrics Coordinator
“Amphibians are disappearing faster than we can study them, but the list of reasons to protect them is long and includes their role in medicine, pest control, their ability to alert us to environmental conditions, as well as improving the health of ecosystems and make the planet a more beautiful place,” explains Kelsey Neamspecies priorities and metrics coordinator at Re:wild and one of the paper’s lead authors.
“Although our article focuses on the effects of climate change on amphibians, the benefit of acting to protect them has a double direction since it is also a solution to the climate crisis. “It is time to invest around the world to prevent amphibians from disappearing, an investment that is actually a bet for the future, because it is the way to keep ecosystems that store carbon healthy.”
The giant salamander, (‘Bolitoglossa dofleini’) is a ‘near threatened’ species whose forest home was protected by the creation of a new reserve in the Sierra Caral of Guatemala. / © Robin Moore/Re:wild
Threat to salamanders increases
The study also concludes that three out of five species of salamanders are threatened with extinction, making them the most endangered group of amphibians. North America is home to most biodiverse salamander communities in the world, including a group of lungless salamanders that are very abundant in the Appalachian Mountains of the eastern United States. There is great concern about the possible arrival of the pathogen Batrachochytrium salamandrivorans (Bsal), another species of chytrid fungus that has already been detected in Asia and Europe, to the American country.
Bsal has not yet been found in the United States, but perhaps it is only a matter of time before a second wave of this deadly disease for salamanders arrives.
Dede Olson, research ecologist, USDA Forest Service
“Bsal has not yet been found in the United States, but, given that both humans and other animals can promote its spread, perhaps it is only a matter of time before a second wave of this lethal disease for salamanders arrives,” he explains. Dede Olson, a research ecologist with the USDA Forest Service and a member of the IUCN. “It is critical that we continue to implement proactive conservation measures to prevent the spread of Bsal in the United States, including effective biosecurity practices for wild and captive amphibians, as well as rapid detection and response measures,” she concludes.
The frog ‘Megophrys ligayae’ is a near-threatened species from Palawan, Philippines. / © Robin Moore/Re:wild
Reference:
Jennifer A. Luedtke et al. “Ongoing declines for the world’s amphibians in the face of emerging threats” Nature
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