蛙年-中国动物园协会.DOC

蛙年：Background背景 目前，全球接近6000种两栖类物种受到濒临灭绝的危机。问题程度的评估显示将近于50% 的物种数量已经受到了威胁。近期内已超过120个两栖类物种消失，预计这个数量将超过500种。这一趋势是人类有史以来所面临最大的毁灭。 Currently, a great number of the world’s 6,000 amphibian species are threatened with extinction. Estimates of the extent of the problem indicate that the numbers of threatened species may be as high as 50%. With recent amphibian extinctions known to have exceeded 120 species, and estimated to be as high as 500 species, this trend represents the greatest extinction crisis in the history of mankind. 二十年前，生物学家开始注意到两栖类在全球许多地区的消失已经到了敲响警钟的地步。有些消失是由显而易见的原因造成（如污染、栖息地的丧失等），但是有证据证明，还有其他的一些因素造成了两栖类总数的大量降低。Chytrid 菌已经被发现于20世纪90年代中期，能够非常迅速地消灭多种蛙类。 About twenty years ago, biologists started noticing that amphibians were disappearing in many areas across the globe at an alarming rate. Some of these disappearances were cause by obvious reasons (pollution, habitat loss etc.), but it was evident that something else was associated with the large numbers of amphibian losses. Chytrid fungus was discovered in the mid-1990s, and is known to kill many frog species very quickly. 在拉丁美洲，近年来已有接近200种两栖类动物灭绝。亚洲由于气候和两栖类物种多样性方面的情况与拉丁美洲相似，因此亚洲两栖类的状况与拉丁美洲不相上下，许多物种比世界其他地区存在着更高的潜在性的威胁。但是，亚洲多岛屿的地理状态，希望以此能够减缓Chytrid菌传播速度。 In Latin America, somewhere in the vicinity of 200 amphibian species have already gone extinct in recent years. Asia is in a very similar situation to Latin America, with a similar diversity of amphibian species, and similar climatic conditions. The number of species that are potentially at risk is higher here than in many other regions. The island geography of much of Asia means that hopefully, chytrid fungus might spread more slowly here than in some other regions. 两栖方舟由世界动物园和水族馆协会和IUCN的两个分支机构—保护繁育专家组和两栖动物专家组一起，在18个月之前成立。两栖方舟将帮助圈养团体确定圈养两栖类保护行动规划的构成已经由IUCN两栖专家组开发于2006年。 The Amphibian Ark was formed about eighteen months ago, by the World Association of Zoos and Aquariums, along with two branches of the IUCN, the Conservation Breeding Specialist Group, and the A