IUCN Species Survival Commission (SSC), Amphibian Specialist Group

As the most threatened vertebrate class on earth, amphibians are at the forefront of the biodiversity crisis, with the recognition of global amphibian declines and extinctions dating back several decades now.

The potential for numerous amphibian species to go extinct in Oaxaca and Chiapas is high and worthy of being considered a major environmental problem. This report summarizes the findings of a project aimed at gathering information at 16 sites in southern Mexico which had been identified in 2005 as being essential to the continued existence of 22 highly threatened amphibian species, the hope being that it could help initiate conservation action. Site and species information are presented as a series of profiles. 

Amphibian populations are disappearing from habitats all around the world. The crisis caught us by surprise - and only now are we able to fully grasp the scope of the situation. Around a third of amphibian species are threatened with extinction - mass extinctions of this magnitude have not been seen since the time of the dinosaurs. The crisis shows us that the world has changed. Traditional threats to species and ecosystems - such as habitat loss and pollution - are being compounded by new threats such as climate change and emerging disease.

Bimonthly newsletter of the Amphibian Specialist Group.