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In recent years scientists and conservationists have raised the alarm that amphibians are disappearing before our very eyes. Even in seemingly pristine habitats, more and more of these dazzling denizens of our forests, deserts, streams, and wetlands have gone missing. But reports so far have been limited in geographic and taxonomic scope. Are these declines widespread or are they limited to a few localized areas? Are amphibians suffering from the general biodiversity crisis in the same manner as other well-publicized groups such as birds or mammals, or is something fundamentally different happening to amphibians? This report on the New World findings of the Global Amphibian Assessment (GAA) addresses these questions by providing a comprehensive analysis of the conservation status of all the amphibians of North, Central, and South America and the Caribbean. It focuses on the New World because of the continuity of land masses and evolutionary relatedness of the species found there. For each species, compiled information about taxonomy, distribution, natural history, threats, and conservation measures is provided. These data formed the basis for applying the IUCN Red List criteria to categorize species based on their conservation status. Overall, 229 scientists contributed to the database that forms the basis of this report.
