Threat to amphibians
by Dhaneshi Yatawara
A recent islandwide research had identified 25 distinct threats to
amphibians in Sri Lanka. "In Sri Lanka many amphibians are rapidly
declining and already 21 species are extinct," said the senior
researcher Anslem de Silva, Co-Chairman of the Amphibian Specialists
Group of Sri Lanka.
De Silva said most of the threats on amphibians are due to human
activities. "In the survey we found that degradation, fragmentation and
loss of habitat, introducing new predators and exotic fish such as the
guppy pollution, contaminants, pathogens, and climate change and many
other factors threaten amphibians."
Amphibians are the best vertebrate indicator species of environmental
degradation, de Silva said.
According to a research done by the International Union for
Conservation of Nature, in the world nearly 130 species are disappearing
since 1980.
Amphibians are facing an extinction crisis and are considered to have
the highest extinction rate of any vertebrate group.
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