'Prehistoric' Frogs May Face Extinction If Conservation Area Is Opened to Mining

[n2doc]

ScienceDaily (May 20, 2010) — The world's most ancient frogs may soon be mined to extinction, if the New Zealand government's plans to open up a conservation area for mining go ahead, conservation biologists.

The primitive Archey's frog (Leiopelma archeyi) and Hochstetter's frog (Leiopelma hochstetteri) are two of the species that inhabit the area of 'high conservation value' on New Zealand's North Island where the mining is planned to take place.

Archey's frog is currently ranked top of the Zoological Society of London's (ZSL) EDGE of Existence amphibian list, making it the most evolutionarily distinct and globally endangered amphibian on the planet. Described as a "living fossil," Archey's frog is almost indistinguishable from the fossilised remains of frogs that walked amongst the dinosaurs 150 million years ago.

"In the year when reducing biodiversity loss is high on the political agenda, it is inconceivable to think that we'd put the nail in the coffin of some of our rarest and most extraordinary frog species," say Helen Meredith, EDGE of Existence amphibian conservation projects coordinator at ZSL.
She adds: "We will be faced with these kinds of decisions again and again in the future. Now is the time to start recognising the long-term value of our natural world over any short-term economic gains."

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http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/05/100520102917.htm

[RaleighNCDUer]

1. I thought that NZ was very eco-friendly.

this is appalling.

[The2ndWheel]

2. We'll conserve anything anywhere

until we need it.