A recent meeting of top scientists—experts in amphibian biology—paved the way for the future protection of amphibians around the globe. The Amphibian Conservation Summit, held on September 17th-19th, brought together more than 60 experts to discuss the threats amphibians face and the steps needed to halt future amphibian declines.

The meeting was convened to address the data coming out of the Global Amphibian Assessment (GAA), a project aimed at assessing the world's 5,918 known amphibian species. The GAA project evaluates species according to IUCN Red List Categories and Criteria and involves the work of nearly 600 scientists from 60 countries. The specific objectives of the project include:

• Determine the scale of the current amphibian extinction crisis
• Pinpoint habitats in most need of conservation to avoid future extinctions
• Identify the main threats facing amphibians and suggest steps to alleviate these threats
• Create a network of experts who can keep the assessment up-to-date and on target

The results of the GAA assessment paint a grim picture for amphibians. Of the 5,918 known species of amphibians, 1,856 are listed on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. That's nearly one-third of the worldwide population. Since 1980, 122 species have become extinct and at least 43% of all species have experienced population declines. Around the world, frogs, toads, salamanders, newts, and caecilians are struggling to survive. They face threats on numerous fronts: habitat destruction, disease, pollution, and climate change.

To avoid a widespread extinction of this ancient lineage of land vertebrates, immediate conservation action is needed. And that's just what the Amphibian Conservation Summit aims to do. The culmination of the Amphibian Conservation Summit was the publication of an action plan to save the threatened group of animals. The Amphibian Conservation Action Plan proposes four forms of intervention to conserve amphibian populations:

• Establish a better understanding of the causes of declines and extinctions
• Document amphibian diversity and how it changes over time
• Create and implement long-term conservation programs
• Establish emergency responses to immediate crises

In each of these four areas, the report provides details as to how to proceed. It suggests areas that need to receive more research attention such as the fungal disease chytridiomycosis, the effects of climate change, and the impact of environmental toxins on amphibian reproduction and development. The report also highlights the need for the control of harvesting of some species. For example, in East and Southeast Asia, unsustainable harvesting of amphibians is resulting in dramatic population declines. Finally, the report calls for the establishment of an Amphibian Action Fund to cover the estimated US$400 million cost of implementing the plan.

Find out more:

• Experts Develop Global Action Plan to Save Amphibians Facing Extinction (Science Daily)
• Amphibian Conservation Summit Declaration (Conservation International)
• Project Overview of the Global Amphibian Assessment (Global Amphibian Assessment)

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