Amphibian research and conservation in Southeast Asia

A staggering one-third of all amphibian species are threatened with extinction. In Southeast Asia, amphibians have been largely overlooked.

Southeast Asian amphibians are both poorly known and highly threatened. Facing the highest deforestation rate on the planet, and huge over-harvesting pressure, Southeast Asian amphibians are being driven towards an extinction crisis. At present, almost one-fifth of Southeast Asian amphibians are listed as threatened.

We still don’t even have a reliable estimate of the true amphibian diversity in Southeast Asia, with the current figures being serious underestimates, and new species being continuously discovered. For example, almost 30% of amphibians from mainland Southeast Asia have been described in the last decade.

For the amphibians that are currently known from Southeast Asia, we lack even basic natural history information for most species. 36% of all amphibian species recorded from Southeast Asia are so poorly known that they are listed as Data-deficient (IUCN), 11% higher than the global average.

Tadpoles are known only for about one-third of Southeast Asian amphibians, even though they are a major life history stage of most amphibians and an important determinant of the ecological requirements of species. Geographic distributions are also poorly known, with many species known only from a single location, and large areas in Southeast Asia remaining unsurveyed.

Our lack of knowledge of this highly threatened group of animals hinders even the most basic amphibian conservation in Southeast Asia (see abstract of our paper summarising the threats facing Southeast Asian amphibians here).

Our research strives to gain a better understanding of the biology, ecology, diversity and conservation status of amphibians in Southeast Asia, and to facilitate long-term amphibian biodiversity conservation in the region.

Central to our research are scientific expeditions to unexplored and often remote, forested areas of Southeast Asia. we work with local colleagues and students, documenting the diversity, biology and conservation of the amphibians found. Reaching sites via a combination of helicopter, canoes, motorbikes and (most often) hiking, we explore high-elevation mountain streams.

A significant proportion of amphibian diversity in Southeast Asia is currently hidden within morphologically cryptic species groups currently treated as a single species. To the human eye, these species look almost exactly the same (or may even indistinguishable based upon appearance alone!). Therefore, to uncover the true amphibian diversity in the region, we incorporate biological, behavioural and molecular data.

The training of young regional scientists is essential in order to facilitate long-term amphibian research and conservation in Southeast Asia, and is central to all our research and conservation work.

You can find more about Dr Jodi Rowley's research on her Australian Museum staff profile or personal website.