As well as being an important part of the food chain, amphibians have the potential to be considered as “hopping pharmacies”, as a number of important chemical compounds can be found on their skin. However, great care must be taken not to over-exploit amphibians in the search for the next miracle cure.
The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species™ has identified amphibians as being the most threatened vertebrate group assessed so far, with around 41% at risk of extinction. Extinctions and large scale declines of amphibian species have been variously attributed to habitat loss, pollution, fires, climate change, disease and over-exploitation. Action must be taken urgently to protect the remaining populations of amphibians across the world.