As many as 222 amphibian species could already have gone extinct, and 2,873 are in danger of extinction, says the second Global Amphibian Assessment, which has been published on 4 October 2023 in the journal Nature.
This is our third and final piece on the second Global Amphibian Assessment. Part I summarised the science, Part II told the stories of the four confirmed extinctions, and this final piece will focus on species recovery. Conservation works! There is hope.
The Nature paper concludes with a call to action which is, like everything else, supported by the science. 63 amphibian species have improved in conservation status since 1980 thanks to conservation; 94% of these were the result of habitat protection and improved habitat management.
The Sierra Juarez Robber Frog is one of the species with a remarkable story of hope for the future of amphibians. In the last assessment (2004), this miniature Mexican frog was assessed as Critically Endangered, but with a note that it might actually be extinct due to chytridiomycosis.
However, the species was observed again in 2009, and thanks to Mexico’s Payment for Hydrological Services Program, which compensates landowners in return for looking after their land and water sources, this species’ habitat now benefits from a high level of protection and the species was reassessed as Near Threatened (conservation dependent) in 2022. This programme is also attributed for the same improvement in status for the Sierra Juarez Brook Frog.