When JJ Apodaca commenced graduate school in biology in 2004, the first Global Amphibian Assessment had just been released, becoming a guiding force in his career.
Now heading the nonprofit group Amphibian and Reptile Conservancy, Apodaca reflects on the recently completed second global assessment of amphibians, published in the journal Nature.
The study, spanning two decades of data from over 1,000 scientists worldwide, paints a dire picture: amphibians, encompassing frogs, toads, salamanders, and newts, are rapidly deteriorating, earning the unsettling distinction of being the planet’s most threatened vertebrates.
The assessment, involving nearly every known amphibian species, reveals that 41% of them are threatened with extinction in the immediate and long-term, surpassing the percentage for threatened mammals, reptiles, and birds. The primary drivers of this decline remain habitat loss due to agriculture, logging, and human encroachment, as observed in 2004.
However, the scientists note the alarming emergence of climate change as a significant threat, with its effects responsible for 39% of species moving closer to extinction between 2004 and 2022, compared to just 1% in the two decades prior.
Climate change, driven by fossil fuel combustion, brings about shifts in seasons, precipitation patterns, and increased frequency of extreme weather events, impacting amphibians profoundly. These creatures, sensitive to environmental changes, lack protective features like feathers or scales and are especially vulnerable. The study identifies salamanders and newts as the most at risk, with the southeastern U.S., specifically Southern Appalachia, being a hotspot of salamander diversity.
The urgency of this crisis extends beyond distant regions, emphasizing a responsibility to address the decline of amphibians in our own backyards. Apodaca emphasizes the need for concerted efforts to save these species, emphasizing the significance of collective responsibility in conservation.