Yes, amphibians are so special in so many ways that they have finally qualified for their own day!
The United States-based charity SAVE THE FROGS! has chosen the 28th April 2009 to be SAVE THE FROGS DAY. By generating awareness of this initiative they hope raise awareness of the plight of amphibians and encourage people to spread the word and hopefully help raise funds for amphibian conservation.
Maybe you’ll even consider getting the T-shirt…!!
EDGE fully supports this initiative – the more we know about amphibians and the factors that threaten them, the more we will care. The more we all care, the more we will do to save these remarkable and enchanting species from an untimely demise. A world without amphibians would be a far poorer place so we hope everyone will lend their support to SAVE THE FROGS DAY! The amphibians need you!
More information
In an effort to raise awareness of the plight of amphibians, the scientific community has declared April 28th, 2009 the 1st Annual ‘Save The Frogs Day’. On this day we encourage the appreciation and celebration of amphibians by people from all walks of life.
Please get involved and help spread the word! Remember that only a small proportion of the public is aware that frogs are disappearing, and that amphibian conservation efforts will not be successful until amphibian declines are common knowledge: think of how long it has taken for any political action on global warming to occur! Politicians rarely act until the public demands action. Our goal is to make the amphibian extinction crisis common knowledge by 2013: help make it happen!
Save The Frogs Day is a perfect time for teachers and students to focus on amphibian conservation, learn about amphibian extinctions, and discuss ways that we can all contribute to amphibian conservation efforts. Please join the SAVE THE FROGS! mailing list so that we can keep you informed of important Save The Frogs Day news and events.
The key points that all people should know on Save The Frogs Day are:
(1) Frogs are the most threatened group of animals on the planet, and are rapidly going extinct. Nearly one-third of the world’s 6,450 amphibian species are in danger of extinction and up to 200 species have completely disappeared in the last 30 years.
(2) Frogs are important to the ecosystem and to humans. See our Why Frogs page for more information.
(3) The primary threats to frogs are habitat destruction; pollution and pesticides; climate change; infectious diseases spread by human activity; over-harvesting for the pet and food trades; and invasive species such as introduced trout, crayfish and non-native amphibians. Please visit our Threats to Frogs page for more information.
(4) Students can help save frogs. Please visit our How to Help page for more information.
Let us know if you have any interesting lesson plans we should add to the Teachers for Frogs page, and please add your thoughts to the Teachers section of the FrogForum.
Official Declaration of Save The Frogs Day
WHEREAS, amphibians are in considerable peril around the world; and
WHEREAS, nearly one-third of the world’s 6,435 amphibian species are threatened with extinction and at least 150 species have completely disappeared since 1979, and thus amphibians are the most threatened group of animals on Earth; and
WHEREAS, amphibians are critical components to our ecosystems, and because amphibians provide ecosystem services to nature and to humans including (1) cleaning waterways by eating algae during their tadpole stage; (2) serving as a vital source of food to dragonflies, birds, fish, and reptiles, (3) consuming large quantities of ticks, mosquitoes and other pest species that serve as disease vectors that can transmit fatal illnesses to humans; and
WHEREAS, approximately 10% of Nobel prizes in physiology and medicine have resulted from investigations that used amphibians, and because when an amphibian species disappears, so does any promise it holds for improving human medicine; and
WHEREAS, amphibians face a multitude of threats including pollution, pesticides, habitat destruction, climate change, invasive species, infectious diseases (the spread of which are facilitated by human activities), and over-harvesting for the pet, food and bait trades; and
WHEREAS, amphibians have survived in essentially their current form for the past 230 million years, having weathered many environmental changes, yet are now in the midst of a mass extinction crisis unmatched in the fossil record; and
WHEREAS, amphibians are widely regarded as accurate bio-indicators whose disappearance signifies the Earth’s environment is out of balance and portends potential negative consequences for humans; and
WHEREAS, we believe in the right of children to see, hear and catch amphibians in their native habitat; and
WHEREAS, amphibians provide a source of enjoyment and cultural fascination to humans and it would be morally irresponsible to allow them to continue on their current extinction trajectory; and
WHEREAS, amphibian conservation efforts will not be successful without an educated and informed public; and
WHEREAS, frogs comprise the vast majority of amphibian species, and are the group most recognized and appreciated by the public;
NOW, THEREFORE, we, the members of the SAVE THE FROGS! Board of Directors and the members of the SAVE THE FROGS! Advisory Committee have declared April 28th, 2009 the 1st Annual ‘Save The Frogs Day’, and call these observances to the attention of all our citizens.
You can help spread the word by printing this flyer and posting it at your school or office. Click on the image and a PDF will open!
