Canberra (Australia), December 11: A frog species that was once found across two-thirds of Australia's wet tropics has been declared extinct.
The latest update of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) red list, the leading global assessment of extinction risk, downgraded the mountain mist frog from critically endangered to extinct.
Endemic to Australia and mostly found at high altitudes in wet tropics, the frog has not been sighted since April 1990.
The IUCN attributed its extinction to the chytrid fungus, which has destroyed amphibian species around the world, but noted that a reduction in its habitat due to climate change could have also been a factor.
"We know what's causing this crisis: habitat destruction, invasive species and climate change," Jess Abrahams from the Australian Conservation Foundation told the Australian Associated Press (AAP).
"We need swift action from the federal government if we are to turn around the twin climate and extinction crises," added Jess.
The frog was one of the 26 Australian species to have its status changed on the IUCN red list, among which 23 were orchids, taking the total number of native orchids on the list to 51.
The list was released to coincide with the United Nations Biodiversity Conference (COP15) currently underway in Canada.
Australian Environment Minister Tanya Plibersek will fly to Montreal as the country's representative at the conference later in December.
On Thursday she announced a major overhaul of Australia's environmental protection laws, including establishing an independent environmental protection agency.
The changes, which will be legislated in 2023, are a response to a report which found current laws ineffective and not fit for purpose.
Source: Xinhua
