Did you know that 214 amphibian species occur in Australia which puts us in the top 13 countries in the world and that 47 of these species are already under threat and on top of that 25% of Australia’s frog species occur in the Wet Tropics region. We told you our rainforests are special! And because of that the ARF is joining the Year of the Frog global campaign, to be launched on New Year’s Eve.
Amphibian Ark as an arm of the Amphibian Conservation Summit (ACAP) has named 2008 the Year of the Frog, with a global campaign to raise awareness of the amphibian crisis, and to generate funding for amphibian conservation.
It is believed that one-third to one-half of the world’s approximately 6,000 known amphibian species could go extinct in our lifetime. This would be the largest mass extinction since the disappearance of the dinosaurs.
The major threats to amphibians worldwide are:
Habitat loss
Climate change
Pollution and pesticides
Introduced species
Over-collection for food and pets
A parasitic fungus called amphibian chytrid
The ARF website and our e-newsletter will keep you informed throughout 2008 on ARF events and activities in support of this campaign.
