Save me, save me!
Posted on 09/15/2005 6:13:19 AM PDT by billorites
Scientists will meet this weekend to launch an action plan aimed at stemming the global decline in amphibians.
About a third of frog, toad and salamander species are facing extinction; threats include fungal disease, pollution and habitat loss.
The Washington DC meeting is expected to call for the establishment of a large-scale captive breeding programme.
The cost of preserving amphibians from extinction may run into tens of millions of US dollars per year.
Global decline
The extent of amphibian decline was revealed in October last year, with the publication of a comprehensive worldwide survey, the Global Amphibian Assessment.
It revealed that almost a third of the 5,743 known species are categorised as Critically Endangered, Endangered or Vulnerable according to criteria established by IUCN, the World Conservation Union.
|
AMPHIBIANS: THE ASSESSMENT
|
Establishing the reasons behind this decline has proved more difficult than finding out the numbers.
The biggest single threat appears to be a fungus, Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis ; first identified just six years ago, it is firmly established in parts of the Americas, Australia and Europe.
The disease which it causes, chytridiomycosis, appears to kill amphibians by damaging their sensitive skins, blocking the passage of air and moisture.
|
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
|
It is believed that environmental stresses, including drought and pollution, may make the animals more vulnerable to the chytrid fungus, perhaps by weakening their immune system or reducing their birth weight.
"The smoking gun in all this is the fungus," the chair of IUCN's amphibian group Claude Gascon told the BBC News website.
"We have some idea what it's doing, but we don't know where it's coming from and how it's being moved around, and there is no way of controlling it in the wild.
"That leaves us with few options but to go and rescue some populations at risk from disease, and then re-introduce them in the wild when we've cleaned up or found ways of allowing them to live in the wild with the fungus."
Paying the price
The scale of the rescue programme set out in discussion papers for this weekend's meeting is staggering in scale.
They suggest that specimens of several hundred species of frogs, toads, salamanders and caecilians - legless amphibians - could as a priority be taken from the wild into captive breeding programmes.
| One thing we need for example is more capacity in zoos around the world to run these captive breeding programmes Claude Gascon, Conservation International |
"The price-tag for all this is going to be enormous - tens of millions of dollars per year for at least a decade," said Claude Gascon, who is also senior vice-president for regional programmes with the charity Conservation International.
"But when you break this down and look at what different stakeholder groups can do - one thing we need for example is more capacity in zoos around the world to run these captive breeding programmes, and that's something that governments might be quite willing to address."
There will be calls for more protected habitats, for increased testing of agricultural chemicals to discover whether they are toxic to amphibians, and for the establishment of a central laboratory to study the fungus and other pathogens.
Because of their sensitivity to environmental factors, amphibians are sometimes referred to as the "canary in the coal mine", an early-warning system for ecological decline which will also impact other species, including humans.
Based on the headline, I thought this was about France.
The only action plan the Frogs have is surrender and collaborate.
Ok, how do I go about applying for a federal frog ranching grant?
Carolyn
Sicilians are amphibians?.......
Sounds like detente.
If true, my garage must be the most environmentally sound place on earth. I have a ton of toads from little tiny guys to big, fat mommas. AND I know the real meaning of toadstools.
Ran over a frog in my driveway the other day. Or was it a toad? It's hard to tell when it's flatter than a pancacke.
I have a frog ranch in Texas. Its in the same
place as my snake ranch, scorpion ranch and grasshopper ranch.
"It is believed that environmental stresses, including drought and pollution.."
And of course global warming... and Oh! How about second hand smoke?
Sure, look what happened because we couldn't save the dinosaurs.
LISTER Well go on then, what've I signed up for?
RIMMER In the nineteenth century, when miners went down a pit, they'd lower a canary down first in a little cage -
LISTER What, and make them do some mining? They were sick in the nineteenth century, weren't they, eh? I mean, how much coal can a little canary get?
RIMMER - And if the atmosphere was noxious, as it frequently was, guess what the canary did.
LISTER Complained to the foreman?
RIMMER It died, Listy. The canary's job was to go into the most dangerous, unpleasant and smeggy situations and see if it could stay alive. Then they'd know if it was safe to send in the important people.
LISTER Oh, I'm gonna kill him!
RIMMER How come you've never heard of the Canaries? They've got recruitment posters all over the men's bogs! How come you've not seen them?
LISTER When I'm in the men's toilets in prison, Rimmer, I tend not to look around, y'know what I'm saying? It's like playing golf: I concentrate on my grip, keep my eye on the ball and try not to veer off to the side!
RIMMER "The Canaries"... You know what they say it's supposed to stand for? "Convicts Army Nearly All Retarded In-bred Evil Sheep shaggers"!
"It's cold outside...
There's no kind of atmosphere
I'm all alone,
More or less.
Let me fly,
Far away from here,
Fun, fun, fun,
In the sun, sun, sun."
Given how they surrender whenever attacked, it's no wonder they are becoming extinct.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.