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 Almost
everyone can recognise frogs and toads. They are those extraordinary
vertebrate animals which change from egg to adult by undergoing
metamorphosis. This remarkable process played a crucial part in these
animals’ pioneering invasion of the land. It demonstrates evolution
compressed into just a few weeks and it sparks our imagination.
Today,
amphibians can be found in enormous variety and occupy a wide range of water
and land habitats – except for the oceans and the frozen polar regions.
They are so familiar to most people
that they have
become part of the myths, legends, and folk tales of many cultures. And
there is still much more for us to learn about them for new species are
being discovered even today.
Yet their habitats
are being destroyed at such a speed that now many species may disappear before
we even discover that they exist.
Infections of
chytrid fungus, for which there is no known cure, are today spreading rapidly
and threatening entire species. There is thus the real possibility that much of
an entire category of animals may become extinct worldwide – unless we prepare
to act quickly. Captive breeding has been shown by the scientific community to
be one of the most important and appropriate ways to slow down the effects of
this crisis.
Selected species,
bred in favorable ex-situ conditions, can multiply and prosper to such an extent
that populations can be released into secure environments in the wild. The IUCN
Amphibian and Conservation Breeding Specialist Groups and the World Association
of Zoos and Aquariums have therefore launched The Amphibian Ark to support such
ex-situ projects around the world. The global zoo and aquarium community have
taken on this challenge with enthusiasm and are providing appropriate facilities
and breeding grounds within their institutions. But implementation calls for
financial and political support from all parts of the world.
I, therefore,
extend a warm invitation to all of you to join the 2008 Year of the Frog global
campaign. Its main goal is to generate public awareness and understanding of the
amphibian extinction crisis. The funds raised from this worldwide campaign will
help support AArk coordination activities and finance regional
initiatives such as rescues, training workshops, and cooperatively managed
centres. It will also ensure the sustainability of surviving populations by
creating a cash fund that will extend far beyond 2008.
Without an
immediate and sustained conservation effort to support captive management,
hundreds of species of these wonderful creatures could become extinct in our own
lifetime.
Sir David
Attenborough
Patron, 2008 Year of the Frog
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