World Frog Day (20 March 2022)
March 20th is World Frog Day, which was created in 2009 to increase awareness of the plight of threatened frog species around the world. All amphibians, including frogs, are important components of the global ecosystem, as indicators of environmental health and contributors to human health. More than one third of them are currently threatened with extinction. Addressing the amphibian extinction crisis represents the greatest species conservation challenge in the history of humanity.
How many frogs are there?
We know there are at least 7,400 species of frogs, but sadly, we also know that at least 2,000 (28%) of these are threatened with extinction (IUCN Red List). The actual number of threatened species is no doubt considerably higher, because around 1,000 species (14%) have not yet been assessed for their threat categories, and for another 1,000 (14%) of them, so little is known about their status in the wild that they cannot be accurately assessed.
Why are they in trouble?
Many things are causing frog populations around the world to decline, and in fact, at least 35 species that we know of have gone extinct in recent times. Habitat loss and destruction is one of the worst problems, not only for frogs, but for many other species of animals and plants.
Many human activities contribute to habitat destruction and the decline of amphibians, including water pollution, the introduction of non-native species, climate change, agriculture, and urban development. Diseases, especially chytridiomycosis, which is caused by the chytrid fungus, are also having a massive effect on frogs, many of which are already under stress from the threats mentioned above.
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