Global News - August 2008
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Worldwide amphibian decline 'points to a bigger problem'
Tue 19 August 2008 14:00 UK — Reptiles
Researchers from the US have suggested that declines in amphibian species around the world could signal a wider biodiversity disaster.
A team from the University of California at Berkley explained in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences that substantial death rates among amphibians across the globe could signal that the planet is facing mass extinctions in the coming years.
The researchers pointed to a 2004 survey that showed that nearly one-third of amphibian species are threatened and that even species not currently in danger of extinction are declining rapidly.
"There's no question that we are in a mass extinction spasm right now," said David Wake, professor of integrative biology at UC Berkeley.
"Amphibians have been around for about 250 million years. They made it through when the dinosaurs didn't. The fact that they're cutting out now should be a lesson for us."
The team also pointed to the fact that amphibian species were declining in US national parks, despite the fact these areas are "about as close as you can get to absolute preserves".
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November 2008
A win for greyhounds in Massachusetts
On 4 November the people of Massachusetts, USA voted overwhelmingly in favour of the Greyhound Protect Act. This legislation will phase out commercial dog racing in the state by 2010.
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