Climate change threatens 40% of amphibians with extinction

ArabiaWeather - A recent study reported that climate change has become the new main driver that is pushing 40.7% of amphibious species globally towards the risk of extinction.

Climate change was threatening only 1% of amphibians

This study, published in the journal Nature, showed that during the period from 1980 to 2004, climate change was the main threat to only 1% of amphibian species listed on the Red List of Threatened Species issued by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). ).

“However, in recent years, specifically after 2004, climate change has become the main threat to a much larger portion of amphibian species, affecting 39% of them,” the study added.

This shift underscores the increasing impact of climate change on amphibian populations, and reflects the general trend of increasing importance of climate change as a critical factor in increasing the risk of extinction of diverse species globally.

Amphibians are particularly vulnerable to the effects of climate change

Amphibians are highly sensitive to environmental changes, and are particularly vulnerable to changes in temperature, rainfall patterns, and changes in habitat resulting from climate change.

The second global assessment was based on an analysis of the extinction risk of 8,011 amphibian species worldwide, and included 2,286 species that were studied for the first time according to the Red List of Threatened Species issued by the International Union for Conservation of Nature.

According to the Red List, the status of amphibians continues to deteriorate worldwide, particularly salamanders, of which 3 out of every 5 species are threatened with extinction. Between 1980 and 2004, diseases and habitat loss caused the conservation status of amphibians to decline by 91%.

Agriculture contributes 77% of threats to amphibians

Researchers have recorded the main threats driving amphibians towards extinction as a result of habitat loss and degradation. It has been estimated that agriculture contributes 77% of these threats, while logging and vegetation affects 53%, and infrastructure development 40%.

The study indicated that the impact of habitat destruction and degradation has already affected 93% of all endangered amphibian species. It noted that the ongoing and predictable impacts of climate change are becoming a growing concern, contributing 39% to the deterioration of the situation since 2004, followed by 37% habitat loss.

Based on the study, habitat loss, degradation and overexploitation appear to be major threats that caused the decline of more than half of the species between 1980 and 2004.

The study went on to identify the highest concentration of endangered species in diverse regions including Sri Lanka, Madagascar, Central America, the mountains and forests of western Cameroon, eastern Nigeria, the Western Ghats region of India, the Caribbean islands and the tropical Andes.

News sites