Beyond 2008 "Year of the Frog": The Challenges Facing Amphibians and the Amphibian Ark

A s stated in no uncertain terms in many recent publications, tel- evision documentaries, and internet sources, amphibians are in serious trouble.The potential consequences of this unprecedented loss of biodiversity occurring in our lifetimes cannot be emphasized enough.The statistics speak for themselves: (1) Over one third of the 6,000 extant amphibian species are threatened and over one half are experiencing population declines; (2) This figure represents more endangered amphibians (frogs, salamanders, and caecilians) than birds, fishes, or mammals, making them the most threatened class of vertebrates on the planet; and (3) In the past few decades, over 122 species have been declared extinct in the wild, and all experts involved recognize this as a very conservative estimate.Amphibian declines are not necessarily new.Based on information streaming in from many sources, changes in amphibian populations in different parts of the world have been documented since the 1980s.Monitoring the changes was difficult but, clearly, something was amiss.We needed a "head count."In 2004, the International Union for the Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources (IUCN, 2008) compiled the first Global Amphibian Assessment, gathering data from scientists worldwide in an effort to develop an accurate picture of how amphibians were faring.The news was not