Sir David Attenborough Tells London Zoo Audience That European Amphibians Are In Trouble

By Kendall Munns

London, UK - Factors including climate change, habitat destruction and disease could wipe out more than half of Europe’s amphibians by 2050, according to scientists from the Zoological Society of London (ZSL).

Scientists at ZSL presented evidence for this, and their plans for future amphibian conservation, at a special event hosted by Sir David Attenborough, world-renowned naturalist, well-loved broadcaster and amphibian enthusiast.

“Amphibians are the lifeblood of many environments, playing key roles in the functions of ecosystems, and it is both extraordinary and terrifying that in just a few decades the world could lose half of all these species,” commented Sir David Attenborough. “I am delighted to be working with the Zoological Society of London to promote amphibian conservation, in the hope that we will not be hearing the dying croaks of these amazing creatures in the years to come.”

Speaking at the lecture, Dr Trenton Garner, a Research Fellow at ZSL, said climate change will dramatically affect the living conditions of amphibians and survival of populations.
 
“Published projections show that climate change alters amphibians’ habitats so we expect a large number of amphibian species to be faced with loss of habitat and ultimately extinction. “In the UK we are already seeing common toads losing condition and experiencing reduced survival. As climate change continues to impact habitats, the situation gets far worse for these native species.”
 
In addition to identifying climate change as a threat, Dr Garner and his colleagues also highlighted two infectious diseases affecting survival rates, a chytrid fungus and ranaviruses. Ranavirus kills thousands of amphibians in the UK each year and the chytrid fungus, implicated in extinctions of amphibian species around the world, has recently been identified in the UK. 
 
The EDGE (Evolutionarily Distinct and Globally Endangered) programme focuses on conserving evolutionarily distinct and globally endangered species and their habitats. The event, ‘Amphibians in a climate of change’ will support and raise money for ZSL’s EDGE programme amphibian conservation work, led by Dr Jonathan Baillie, ZSL Conservation Programmes Director.
 
Helen Meredith, EDGE Amphibians Coordinator, said: “Clearly there is no time to waste if we are to prevent further species loss and effectively conserve unusual, threatened and neglected amphibian species in the wild. We need to reduce carbon emissions but also address other pressing factors including habitat destruction and spread of disease.”
 
In the first ever comprehensive review of extant amphibians (the Global Amphibian Assessment, or GAA), it was found that almost half of amphibians are declining and one-third are currently facing some degree of threat of extinction.

* Founded in 1826, the Zoological Society of London (ZSL) is an international scientific, conservation and educational charity: our key role is the conservation of animals and their habitats.  ZSL runs ZSL London Zoo and ZSL Whipsnade Zoo, carries out scientific research in the Institute of Zoology and is actively involved in field conservation in over thirty countries worldwide. www.zsl.org
* The Zoological Society of London (ZSL)’s EDGE programme launched on the 21st January 2008. EDGE Amphibians conservation and fundraising initiative highlights some of the world’s most extraordinary creatures currently threatened with extinction. This year ZSL scientists have assessed all amphibian species according to how Evolutionarily Distinct and Globally Endangered (EDGE) they are. Further information about the EDGE programme can be found at www.zsl.org/edge. 
* Amphibians are the group of organisms that are four-legged, do not produce amniotic eggs, are ectothermic (their body temperature is regulated by the external environment) and usually spend part of their time on land. The living amphibians are made up of frogs (including toads), salamanders (including newts) and caecilians.  There are approximately 6,200 different species of amphibian, although there may well be yet more undiscovered species.
* Ranavirus is a non-native disease, first discovered in the UK by ZSL in 1995, the origins of which are unknown.  ZSL studies have shown the virus to be closely related to those found in North American amphibians.  One possibility, yet to be fully investigated, is that the virus was introduced with imports of North American bullfrogs or freshwater fish.  The disease is harmless to humans.
 
* Amphibian chytrid is a non-native fungal disease that infects the skin of amphibians, a vital organ through which many drink and breathe.  It was identified in 1998 by an international team of scientists led by ZSL.  It is believed to have originated in Africa, with the export of African clawed frogs around the world for human pregnancy testing and lab studies spreading the disease worldwide. Recently, the food and pet trades may have contributed to the problem as well.   The disease is thought to have been responsible for catastrophic declines in some Australian, North American, Central American, South American and Caribbean species. The situation in Europe is less clear through a lack of data, although some species have seriously declined in upland areas of Spain
* ZSL’s scientific research arm, the Institute of Zoology, has been investigating amphibian diseases since the early 1990s.  In particular, it has been involved in research into the emergence and spread of the ranavirus in the UK and chytrid in Europe, China and parts of Africa and the Americas.  Additionally, it has investigated amphibian population genetics and other amphibian disease in Europe and works with a variety of governmental and non-governmental organisations to further expertise and inform policy. 
*  ZSL London Zoo is one of the first zoos in the UK to actively incorporate climate change into its education remit which includes an active Climate Change Group, a Climate Change Session for schools and an interactive Climate Change Exhibit; the only one of its kind in the UK. ZSL is contributing towards the critically important response to the climate change threat to biodiversity through activities and programme areas. 
 
PHOTOS:  Sir David Attenborough with a frog.