Amphibians in Crisis
Amphibians are in the midst of an extinction crisis. According to the Global Amphibian Assessment, nearly one-third of all amphibian species are endangered or threatened, making amphibians the most endangered group of animals in the world. Defenders has launched a campaign to review and address threats leading to amphibian population declines.
Some of the factors contributing to amphibian declines include climate change, the spread of emerging infectious disease, most notably Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis (Bd) also known as the amphibian chytrid fungus, as well as habitat loss, pollution, invasive species, and overharvesting for domestic and international trade.
Reversing the Decline of Amphibian Populations
In order to effectively tackle the decline of amphibian populations we are working to:
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Propose new listings of amphibians in the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES)
In November 2008, Defenders sent the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, CITES Scientific Authority, a list of 13 amphibian listing proposals for consideration at the 15th Meeting of the Conference of the Parties to CITES, to be held in January 2010 in Doha, Qatar. Defenders International will be advocating for giving these species that are directly impacted by trade the necessary level of CITES protection. Read the proposal.
- Improve the Regulation of Live Animal Imports
We are working to improve the regulation of live animal imports to the U.S. Our 2007 report on the live animal trade, Broken Screens – The Regulation of Live Animal Imports in the United States, showed that more than a dozen non-native amphibian species currently being imported into the U.S. pose risks of becoming invasive species and/or carrying diseases. This could have a negative impact on native amphibian populations. - Adopt New Regulations to Prevent Imports of Devastating Chytrid Fungus
In September 2009 Defenders filed two detailed petitions - one with the Department of the Interior and the other with the Department of Agriculture – urging them to immediately regulate amphibian imports to block the deadly chytrid fungus, known as “Bd”. These imports are unregulated now and pose a major threat to native amphibians. Numerous amphibian experts have endorsed these petitions, which provide key factual and legal analysis. Read our Media Advisory on the filing of these petitions. - In November 2009, Defenders partnered with the CONS program at the University of Maryland to host a symposium at Defenders’ D.C. office on The Role of Trade in the Amphibian Crisis. The symposium included about 40 representatives from Federal agencies, NGOs and the scientific community. It helped to illustrate the role that trade is playing in the devastating chytrid fungus pandemic facing our planet’s amphibians. Read a summary of proceedings from the symposium.
- Protect Latin American Amphibians
We are launching a new effort to protect amphibians in Latin America, where these creatures are both diverse and threatened on a number of fronts.
The Amphibian Crisis and the Threat of International TradeFact sheet about the immediate need for regulation and control over the collection and trade of amphibians before over-exploitation drives them to extinction.
