Bridging the gap between science and policy in amphibian conservation: Beyond 2010
Dear Colleagues,
The United Nations declared 2010 as the International Year of Biodiversity. While it is a year to celebrate the planet's living systems, it is also a year to take stock of what has been achieved to curb biodiversity loss and report against the 2010 biodiversity target.
Amphibians are an important and visible component of animal diversity, and merit special attention given the alarming global phenomenon of amphibian declines and extinctions. As with other taxonomic groups, much of the threats facing amphibians in this day and age are human-induced. Habitat loss, pollution and harvesting figure prominently as major threats. However, amphibians also have their own suite of taxon-specific threats (i.e. disease, which may also be linked to climate change), compounding the issue of amphibian loss.
While we have come a long way in the science of amphibian declines, important questions remain. However, we are at a point where we are clearly running out of time, and action needs to be taken with the science that is currently available to us.
With this in mind, a special issue of Alytes, the journal of the International Society for the Study and Conservation of Amphibians (ISSCA), has been conceived and will be printed in 2010 .
This issue seeks to address
1) the interactions between humans and amphibians.
2) what has been achieved in terms of translating scientific developments into conservation policy and action.
Furthermore, this special issue seeks to assess both the positive (e.g. science and conservation communities' efforts to protect/save amphibians) and negative (international food and pet-trade, deforestation, pollution, etc.) interactions between humans and amphibians, and what concrete proposals can be drawn from these. We are soliciting your contribution for this special issue given your expertise and field of interest and research.
This issue will accept both original articles and reviews of the subjects discussed above. In order to get the issue published in 2010 the manuscript submission deadline is set to 31 May, 2010. The maximum length for submitted papers is 25 pages (double spaced, Font Times New Roman, size 12), inclusive of bibliography but excluding tables and photographs.
Contributions must follow in style the instructions for authors given in Alytes.
We look forward to receiving your papers in 2010. If you have any request do not hesitate to contact us.
Best wishes,
Franco Andreone, Ph.D (franco.andreone@regione.piemonte.it, franco.andreone@gmail.com)
Ariadne Angulo, Ph.D (ariadne.angulo@gmail.com)
Editors, Alytes amphibian conservation special issue
