The salamander #chytrid fungus (Batrachochytrium salamandrivorans, #Bsal), that is causing massive mortality of #salamanders in Europe, was not detected in an intensive survey of wild North American #amphibians!
Through intensive survey efforts, a collaborative team of over 35 researchers led by the USGS Amphibian Research and Monitoring Initiative and USGS National Wildlife Health Center has found no detection of Bsal across the US and one site in Mexico.
The results published on August 3 in Scientific Reports by Waddle et al. found no evidence of Bsal in over 11,000 collected skin swabs. These findings suggest that if Bsal does occur in the US it is not likely to be widespread in many of the high-risk areas that were sampled.
Sign and share this petition requesting that 1) all mining concessions be removed from protected forests in Ecuador, and 2) Reserva Los Cedros be incorporated into the nearby Cotacachi-Cayapas Ecological Reserve
The highest court in Ecuador has agreed to hear a precedent-setting rights-of-nature case brought on behalf of Reserva Los Cedros, a biodiversity hotspot.
But mining concessions illegally granted by the government in 2017 now put 6 million acres of this area at risk.
The Reserva Los Cedros is home to 207 #threatened species, from spectacled bears to brown-headed spider monkeys, as well as the headwaters of four rivers. It's also critical for trapping carbon.
We are very happy 🐸 to share the news that Dr. @simonstuartSE, the Acting Chair of ASA Global Council, Director of Strategic Conservation at ASA partner @SynchEarth and Former Chair of @IUCNssc has won the 2020 Blue Planet Prize by @afinformation_e
Simon led the development of the categories and quantitative criteria for the @IUCNRedList and contributed to the expansion of the number of species assessed. This scientific basis has established the Red List as the most reliable, widely used data on species extinction risk.
Also, conceiving and leading the Global Amphibian Assessment, Simon warned that the decline in the number of amphibians indicates that not only their habitats but also the surrounding ecosystems are deteriorating.