Amphibian Decline

From CBSG.org

Addressing the amphibian extinction crisis represents the greatest species conservation challenge in the history of humanity. A third of the world's 6,000 amphibian species are threatened with extinction. The status of many more is unknown but believed to be imperiled, bringing the percentage of threatened species potentially as high as 50%. This is significantly more than any other group of organisms: by comparison, 12 % of bird species and 23 % of mammal species are threatened. Recent amphibian extinctions exceed 120 species and one entire family is already lost. The IUCN has urged that "All Critically Endangered and Extinct in the Wild taxa should be subject to ex situ management to ensure recovery of wild populations." (IUCN, 2002). Comparable calls to action are included in the Global Amphibian Assessment and other IUCN documents.

Without immediate captive management as a stopgap component of an integrated conservation effort, hundreds of species will become extinct. This conservation challenge is one that we, the ex situ community, are uniquely capable of addressing. Never before has the conservation community at large charged zoos and aquariums with a task of this magnitude. This is an opportunity for every zoo and aquarium, regardless of size, to make a vital conservation contribution, and for our community to be broadly acknowledged as a credible conservation partner. Supporting this call to action is clearly within the financial capacity of all zoos and aquariums, and engages the diverse expertise found within all institutions. Our goal is 100% participation of WAZA zoos and aquariums and the regional associations. If we do not respond immediately and on an unprecedented scale, much of an entire vertebrate class will be lost, and we will have failed in our most basic conservation mission as defined in the World Zoo and Aquarium Conservation Strategy. This is simply unacceptable.

From 17-19 September 2005, the IUCN and Conservation International hosted an Amphibian Conservation Summit in Washington, DC. The world's amphibian authorities from academia, zoos, government, veterinary medicine, and other diverse disciplines convened to conceptualize an Amphibian Conservation Action Plan (ACAP), outlining general responses required in the fields of research, assessment, conservation, and rapid response to stem widespread global amphibian extinctions. The IUCN/SSC Amphibian Specialist Group (ASG), the organization overseeing implementation of the ACAP, specifically tasked the IUCN/SSC Conservation Breeding Specialist Group (CBSG) with implementation of the ex situ aspects of the ACAP.

From 12-15 February 2006, CBSG and the World Association of Zoos and Aquariums (WAZA) hosted an Amphibian Ex Situ Conservation Planning Workshop in El Valle, Panama. Unlike the prior meeting in DC, this group called upon only those amphibian biologists with expertise in the issues surrounding captive maintenance of amphibians. Fifty such people from 14 countries representing every amphibian-inhabited continent divided into four working groups to begin developing strategies for Organization of the ex situ community, Best Practices for husbandry and quarantine, developing objective criteria for Species Selection, and conceptually organizing Rapid Response Programs.

On 26 August 2006, a working group at CBSG's Annual Meeting in Halle, Germany finalized a detailed strategy (the Amphibian Ark or AArk) for organization of the ex situ community, building on the important prior work from the previous meetings. At its 28-31 August 2006 Annual Conference in Leipzig, Germany, WAZA adopted a formal Resolution on the Amphibian Extinction Crisis: committing to supporting the Amphibian Ark Initiative.

To make a donation to the CBSG/WAZA Amphibian Ark, please send checks to:

CBSG-Amphibians
12101 Johnny Cake Ridge Road
Apple Valley, MN 55104

or

WAZA-Amphibians
P O Box 23
CH-3097 Liebefeld-Bern
Switzerland

For information on how to donate via credit card or money wire, please email us at office@cbsg.org

When making a donation, please include your name or that of your organization to insure proper credit.

• The AArk is a joint effort of WAZA, CBSG, and ASG formed to address the ex situ components of the ACAP.
• The AArk mission is to ensure long-term survival in nature utilizing short-term ex situ management of amphibian taxa for which adequate protection in the wild is not currently possible.
• The AArk will coordinate ex situ programs implemented by partners around the world, with the first emphasis on programs within the range countries of the species, and with a constant attention to our obligation to couple ex situ conservation measures with necessary efforts to protect or restore species in their natural habitats.
• The remit is to encourage, facilitate and help fund practical delivery of ex situ programs through partnerships involving AArk members, national governments, and regulatory authorities.
• Members of the AArk will be WAZA members and WAZA affiliates, members of regional or national zoo associations, AArk approved private partners and AArk approved museums, universities and wildlife agencies.
• An AArk Steering Committee, with a Co-Chair from each of the 3 umbrella organizations, will provide strategic guidance on the activities of the AArk and ensure excellent communication with all stakeholders.
• Advisory Committees will be formed to consult with Taxon Management Groups on species-specific issues related to reintroduction, gene banking, and veterinary, legal, and ethical concerns.
• Four fulltime dedicated positions will: coordinate all aspects of implementation within the AArk initiative; assist AArk partners in identifying priority taxa and regions for ex situ conservation work; lead development and implementation of training programs for building capacity of individuals and institutions; and develop communications strategies, messages, and materials to promote understanding and action on behalf of amphibian conservation.
• The AArk coordinators will make it much easier for all AArk partners to contribute effectively to the global effort.

• Each institution that is a member of WAZA or the regional associations should commit to saving at least one species, with a rescue center either onsite or in an area in need of capacity building, and preferably both. These efforts should cover at least one 'species equivalent' - that is, each center should have capacity for at least 500 animals in a managed program (the target per species), but will not necessarily hold all representatives of any given species. The number one priority for all centers should be native species, or stated another way, centers should be built where the species is in need.
• Expand and support capacity building (facilities and expertise), at home institutions and in range countries. Assess, upgrade and expand amphibian facilities, and send staff to participate in training courses or internships at institutions with existing capacity, or sponsor someone in need.
• Immediately support and expand existing efforts, such as rescue programs, field surveys, regional programs (e.g. SSP, EEP, ASMP, APP), and local amphibian conservation projects.
• Participate in the 2008 global public awareness campaign through your website, zoo graphics, education materials, and media releases. Do your visitors know that we are experiencing the greatest species conservation challenge in the history of humanity?
• Participate in the 2008 global capital campaign to support your own programs and the global coordination through AArk.

    Your tax-deductable Paypal payments can be sent here:

                     www.AmphibianArk.org