Abstract

Global biodiversity losses have assumed the status of a crisis and as a part of it, many amphibian populations are declining. It is estimated that the current rate of extinction is greater than any known in the last 100,000 years. Recent studies have shown that nearly one-third of amphibian species are threatened. Amphibians are thought to be indicator species of overall environmental health, and understanding their declines may serve as a model for understanding species declines in general. The present review discusses the present state of knowledge about the complex problem of amphibian declines: the hypotheses which have been propounded, the remedial measures which have been proposed and the future directions for research in this important area.

Key words: Biodiversity, amphibian declines, extinction, threatened, indicator species, environmental health, hypotheses.