Amphibian fungal panzootic causes catastrophic and ongoing loss of biodiversity

• Only with the adoption of certain measures and progress in some fields of science, such as the control of non-indigenous invasive species, pollution control and the conservation of wetlands will it be possible to prevent the loss and degradation of habitats and ensure of amphibian and reptiles populations around the world.
• Monitoring populations is essential and must be aided by the establishment of standard methods and techniques. It is equally important that the academic community, land managers, and conservation organizations recognize that rigorous field programs focusing on the distribution, abundance, status, and trends of populations and species are critical and worthwhile. 
• Herpetofaunal inventories should become a standard part of environmental assessment programs, and the publication of field survey efforts that document potential or suspected declines should be encouraged.

• Invasive Alien Species (IAS) are one of the biggest threats to biodiversity worldwide. 
• Mainly Amphibians, but also Reptiles are highly threatened by modifications of natural systems, especially in relation to freshwater reservoirs, and the subsequent potential habitat differentiation. 
• There are two kind of invasive species’ categories that may negatively affect the well-being of native herpetofauna: The ones that directly affect it – though means of predation, competition for resources, niche overlapping, diseases etc – and the ones of indirect affection – causing degratation or even loss of herpetofaunas’ habitat. It is not always obvious which category may end up having the greatest impact.
• Systematic monitoring, prevention of establishment and – if possible – limitation of invasive species that pose a threat upon native herpetofauna is of high importance. Especially in cases of critically endangered endemic species of herpetofauna, that we do meet in our aforementioned “herpetoareas”.

• They cause biodiversity and habitat loss.
• They reduce the native’s species amount of natural feed.
• They transmit parasites. 
• They produce changes in the structure and composition of ecosystems displacing natural habitats.
• -Fungus causes diseases and blights on plants, trees and amphibians. Its expansion is fast, even ferocious, and it is not easy to control.  On trees they modify the woodland ecosystem, hence the habitats of the herpetofauna who live in the area. For amphibians, it could cause extermination and it’s responsible of the decline and extinction of several amphibian species.
• Invasive aquatic predators are particularly detrimental to the egg and larval stages of most amphibians as these stages are restricted to water until metamorphosis.
• Invasive plant species can rapidly colonize large areas interrupting the connection of the aquatic environment and dislocating the local ones that are the habitat of reptiles.  
• Some invasive animal species eat amphibians and reptiles.
• When the invasive species does not have a natural predator it is a serious threat to the area as the increment of the population is uncontrollable.
•  The invasive fungus species, that cause the destruction of trees that belong to the snake habitats, often cause great survival problems to the reptiles involved.

• The challenge of prevention
• The challenge of extermination