Summary of Key Findings

The inital release in 2004 of the Global Amphibian Assessment (GAA) represented the first time that all amphibian species known to science had been analyzed in order to assess their conservation status and distribution. The GAA is an ongoing project, and since 2004 there have been many updates to the data, including the addition of 160 new species. This new information is presented here and is also included in the 2006 IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Almost 600 experts from over 60 countries have so far contributed to the assessment. The study’s results provide a baseline for global amphibian conservation, and are already being used to design strategies to save the world’s rapidly declining amphibian populations.

Distribution of Threatened Amphibians Worldwide Click the image to see a larger version.

• Nearly one-third (32%) of the world’s amphibian species are threatened, representing 1,896 species. By comparison, just 12% of all bird species and 23% of all mammal species are threatened.

• As many as 165 amphibian species may already be extinct. At least 34 amphibian species are known to be extinct, one is Extinct in the Wild, while at least another 130 species have not been found in recent years and are possibly extinct.

• At least 43% of all species are declining in population, indicating that the number of threatened species can be expected to rise in the future. In contrast, fewer than one percent of species show population increases.

• The largest numbers of threatened species occur in Latin American countries such as Colombia (209), Mexico (198), and Ecuador (163). The highest levels of threat, however, are in the Caribbean, where more than 80% of amphibians are threatened in the Dominican Republic, Cuba, and Jamaica, and a staggering 92% in Haiti.

• Although habitat loss clearly poses the greatest threat to amphibians, a newly recognized fungal disease is seriously affecting an increasing number of species. Perhaps most disturbing, many species are declining for unknown reasons, complicating efforts to design and implement effective conservation strategies.

Summary of Red List Status for Amphibians

Further details on the results of the GAA are presented through the following links, including numerous charts, maps, and tables. The 2006 results of the GAA will be the subject of a comprehensive analysis to appear in book form soon.

An in-depth analysis of the 2004 GAA results for the New World, available in both English and Spanish, can be found in the report Disappearing Jewels: The Status of New World Amphibians.