Conservation of Brazilian Amphibians

Brazil is the world leader in amphibian diversity, with 765 species, most of which have been described in the last 40 years. The Brazilian Official List of Threatened Species and the results of a workshop for the Global Amphibian Assessment indicate that 26 species are threatened. The majority of th...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Conservation biology 2005-06, Vol.19 (3), p.653-658
Main Authors: SILVANO, DÉBORA L., SEGALLA, MAGNO V.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Amphibia
Amphibians
Biodiversity
Biodiversity conservation
Conservation
Conservation biology
Ecology
Environmental conservation
Fauna
Habitat conservation
Protected areas
Reptiles & amphibians
Special Section: Brazilian Conservation: Challenges and Opportunities
Species
Threatened species
Wildlife conservation
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Summary:Brazil is the world leader in amphibian diversity, with 765 species, most of which have been described in the last 40 years. The Brazilian Official List of Threatened Species and the results of a workshop for the Global Amphibian Assessment indicate that 26 species are threatened. The majority of these occur in the Atlantic Forest, one of the world's biodiversity hotspots. The main threat to amphibians is the destruction of their habitats through deforestation, conversion into agricultural land, mining, wildfires, and infrastructure development and urbanization. In Brazil little is known about other causes of amphibian decline observed worldwide, such as pesticides, infectious diseases, climate change, invasive species, or wildlife trade. Brazilian conservation policies include such important legal instruments as the Official List of Threatened Species and the selection of priority areas for conservation measures in all of Brazil's major biomes. Although there is little information on geographic distributions and the natural history and ecology of the large majority of the currently recognized species, a number of important regional studies for amphibian conservation are under way. New species are discovered each year.
ISSN:0888-8892
1523-1739
DOI:10.1111/j.1523-1739.2005.00681.x