• Marley T. Gómez-Rincón, Herpetologist, University of Antioquia, Herpetological Group of Antioquia (GHA in Spanish), Colombia
• Angeliki Chatzitheofanous, Undergraduate student, Department of Agricultural Development, Democritus University of Thrace, Greece
• Olga Grizi, Undergraduate Student, Department of Biological Applications & Technology, University of Ioannina, Greece
• Sami Zhioua, Master Student, Department of Eco-ethology, University of Neuchâtel, Switzerland
• Chamzin Elpida, Undergraduate student, Department of Biology, University of Athens, Greece

Eutrophication, Available from: https://energyeducation.ca/encyclopedia/Eutrophication, accessed 25/3/2019

Nature Destroyed by Human Activity: Definition of Pollution, Biology Q&As, Available from: https://www.biology-questions-and-answers.com/environmental-issues.html, accessed 25/3/2019

Pieter T. J. Johnson et.al., 2007: Aquatic eutrophication promotes pathogenic infection in amphibians, Available from: https://www.pnas.org/content/104/40/15781, accessed 25/3/2019

• Switzerland on the other hand, has a rather small proportion of amphibians and reptiles. 17 amphibian and 14 reptile species have been listed. 75% of each group is on the Red List in Switzerland. Thus, the diversity is threatened, mainly due to climate change and human activity. It has a total area of 41’000km2, making it one of the smallest countries. However, density ranks this country higher. Therefore, the anthropogenic pressure is highly present in Switzerland.

• Colombia is the second and  third country with the greatest diversity of amphibians and reptiles, respectively. Because of their morphology and life histories, both taxa are susceptible to any change in an ecosystem no matter how small. At present, the diversity of amphibians of Colombia is critically threatened, reaching the point of occupying the first place in the world with 261 species categorized in some type of vulnerability to extinction. On the other hand, reptiles have not been categorized so far to know their threat status, except for 25 charismatic and well-known species within the group of turtles and crocodilians.

• Deforestation is particularly marked in areas adjacent to urban centers, roads and rivers. However, the most remote or protected areas are showing signs of human pressure, especially where high-quality wood trees are found. The deforestation (Terrible plague of our time) devastates the forests and jungles of the Earth in a massive way causing an immense damage to the quality of the soils. Not all deforestation is a consequence of intentionality. Some are caused by human and natural factors such as forest fires and intensive grazing, which can inhibit the growth of new tree shoots.
• Roads are a huge barrier for the herpetofauna, as they often isolate breeding or feeding sites. Mortality of Amphibians and reptiles on highway is common. Transportation is acting as an ecological trap and is responsible for a significant part of the total mortality of reptiles.  Some of the main ecological effects that roads have on wildlife are (a) an increase in habitat loss and fragmentation, (b) degradation of habitat quality adjacent to the road, (c) changes in the composition and structure of communities due to colonisation by invasive or generalist species, and (d) direct effects due to mortality resulting from collisions of vehicles with wildlife. In many cases the road mortality can be used as a way to measure population sizes, activity of a species or track the location of breeding sites during the breeding season when the movement between sites and the activity of many species reach its peak (and so does the mortality).
• Dam construction destabilises the environmental balance of an area and alter the parameters that are directly correlated with the preservation and development of protected wetlands and fragile ecosystems. Dam construction prevents the communication of species upstream and downstream of the dam. Many amphibian and reptiles species are trapped in one side of the dam and they usually cannot pass it by and have access to resources. Unfortunately dams, as well as roads, are often constructed without an environmental study.
• Tourism plays an important role in the economy of countries. Unfortunately, it is not done in a responsible and eco-friendly way. For example, sea turtles cannot lay their eggs at beaches because they are too crowded and dangerous for both the turtles and the eggs. Moreover the lights across the beach can lead to disorientation of the young, after they are hatched, because the light at night is a compass towards the sea for them. 
• Intensive farming & agriculture are associated with the increased use of fertilisers and pesticides. Pesticides, insecticides and chemicals pollute the water, bioaccumulate on the skin of certain reptiles (such as freshwater turtles), penetrate into the permeable skin of the amphibians and lead to embryonic developmental disturbance, morbidity (weakness of the immune system and diseases) and sex alteration. Moreover, agriculture has led to draining alluvial zones (intense habitat loss) and habitat fragmentation.
• Forest fires are huge problems and real estate speculation and building land reclamation are the main motives for arson. Fires have caused a huge habitat loss over the last decades and along with this, herpetofauna loss. Herpetofauna species do not have effective escape mechanisms and their distribution areas are small, which makes them more vulnerable to this type of impact and may even reach extinction in particular areas.
• Fracking (the most devastating and recent environmental problem in Colombia, possible threat in Greece also) 
• Transformation of natural habitats and ecosystems and/or destruction of wetlands and páramo areas (especially for agriculture, expansive livestock and mining)
• Hydroelectricity (between environmental impact and development)
• Pollution (environmental, light, acoustic, chemical, garbage...). This is mainly driven by urban and Industrial expansion. 

https://phys.org/news/2019-03-fluorescence-tiny-brazilian-frogs.html?fbclid=IwAR3AAelkP7_S8eVGcGsu0OaOua1tt2rA59oPl-i_kbOhW2WyHuPc6ao0Wtw

...Although this section is to talk about its anthropogenic threats, we can not ignore how wonderful these taxa are! :)

They survived the Cretaceous–Paleogene boundary cataclysm that wiped out the dinosaurs. Will they survive us in the Anthropocene?