Species Within Protected Costa Rican Park Collapsing - Reptiles, Amphibians Show 75% Slide Since 70s

[hatrack]

A protected rainforest in one of the world's richest biodiversity hotspots has suffered an alarming collapse in amphibians and reptiles, suggesting such havens may fail to slow the creatures' slide towards global extinction. Conservationists working in a lowland forest reserve at La Selva in Costa Rica used biological records dating from 1970 to show that species of frogs, toads, lizards, snakes and salamanders have plummeted on average 75% in the past 35 years.

Dramatic falls in amphibian and reptile numbers elsewhere in the world have been blamed on habitat destruction and the fungal disease chytridiomycosis, which has inflicted a devastating toll across central and South America. But scientists hoped many species would continue to thrive in dedicated reserves, where building, land-clearance and agricultural chemicals are banned. (ed. - emphasis added)

The new findings suggest an unknown ecological effect is behind at least some of the sudden losses and have prompted scientists to call for urgent studies in other protected forest areas. The researchers, led by Maureen Donelly at Florida International University, believe climate change has brought warmer, wetter weather to the refuge, with the knock-on effect of reducing the amount of leaf litter on the forest floor. Nearly all of the species rely on leaf litter to some extent, either using it for shelter, or feeding on insects that eat the leaves.

The study revealed sharp declines among two species of salamander, whose numbers fell on average 14.52% every year between 1970 and 2005. Frog species slumped too, with numbers of the mimicking rain frog falling 13.49%, the common tink frog 6.69%, and the strawberry poison frog 1.18% a year. Lizards suffered similar falls, with one species, the striped litter skink, down 10.03% each year, and orange-tailed geckos declining by 8.05% every year. The researchers also analysed weather records for the region, which revealed a rise of more than 1C in temperature over the 35-year period and a doubling of the number of wet days. The study was published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences yesterday. "All of the falls recorded elsewhere have been in high, mountainous regions and those have mostly been driven by the spread of fungus. All of the tests we've done for the fungus here have been negative," said Steven Whitfield, a co-author of the study.

EDIT

http://www.guardian.co.uk/frontpage/story/0,,2058926,00.html

[Richard D]

1. This is very very very bad. N/T

[hatrack]

2. Protected status, it would seem, made no difference here

Not surprising - I wonder if the collapse is preceding "faster than expected."

[Gato Moteado]

3. i'm very familiar with la selva.....

....i am part owner of a big rainforest property in the area, about 10 miles north of la selva. this is a depressing story.

la selva is in an area of costa rica called sarapiqui and it's on the caribbean slope, one of the most biodiverse areas in the country. i wish i could have seen what it looked like 20 or 30 years ago, because i'm sure it has only a fraction of the life it had back then.

[phantom power]

4. Nature preserves can't keep out climate change.

[Judi Lynn]

5. Thanks for the article. Very sad news. Hope there's time for a miracle someday. n/t

[YankeyMCC]

6. "unknown ecological effect"

That's the key phrase. Yes there is a lot we can learn about the natural world but our best bet is always to maintain what we find millions of years of evolution and ecological development have built on their own and to be as minimally disruptive as possible - EVERYWHERE. Isolating ourselves or little bits of ecological systems here and there from the rest of nature is unrealistic because it's all one global ecology.