Ark underway. Amphibians only need apply.
Credit: Ben Yanis (Some rights reserved.)
The Amphibian Ark is a global effort to collect amphibians in zoos to save them from extinction.
Amphibians have been around for 360 million years. Today their extinction rate is at least 200 times greater than at any time in their history, according to Kevin Zippel, who’s helping to coordinate the Ark. Zippel said the planet hasn’t seen anything like this since the dinosaurs went extinct 65 million years ago – and, as he pointed out, the amphibians survived that event.
Today, there are about 6,000 known species of amphibians – including frogs, toads, newts and salamanders. Their habitat is changing, the climate is changing, and they’re facing pollution and disease. But no one knew how badly amphibians were faring until scientists published an assessment in 2004.
Zippel said he and other experts believe there are probably around 500 amphibian species that will go extinct unless they are brought into captivity in the near future. Ark participants include zoos, aquariums and other organizations around the world. Zippel said that – right now – those organizations have about 10 percent of the capacity they need, to save as many species as they’d like.
These scientists are calling 2008 The Year of the Frog to help raise awareness and funds for the Amphibian Ark.
Zippel said that if and when threats diminish in an amphibian’s habitat – and enough of that species are bred in captivity – Ark scientists will release the species back into the wild.
Why save amphibians? They are a key part of many ecosystems, a source of medicines, prodigious eaters of insect pests, and sentinels that can warn us of environmental dangers.
