Planning for Amphibians: IUCN World Conservation Congress adopts new motion on scaling up investment in amphibian conservation

At the 2025 IUCN World Conservation Congress, held in Abu Dhabi this October, members approved Motion 075 guiding the global response to the amphibian extinction crisis. This resolution underscores the urgent need for governments and donors to step up with coordinated action and long-term investment to prevent further amphibian extinctions.   

Despite decades of work, the second Global Amphibian Assessment (Luedtke et al. 2023) revealed sobering trends: 41% of amphibian species are threatened with extinction, 37 are confirmed extinct, and climate change has emerged as an additional driver alongside habitat loss, disease, and exploitation. This pattern varies among regions and species but paints a worrying picture overall (State of the World’s Amphibians). 

The new resolution, drafted by Re:wild and Synchronicity Earth, reviewed by members and experts in the IUCN SSC Amphibian Specialist Group (ASG), Conservation Planning Specialist Group (CPSG), Amphibian Ark (AArk) and Amphibian Survival Alliance (ASA), and submitted by Synchronicity Earth, aligns with the 2024 Amphibian Conservation Action Plan (ACAP), which provides a framework for regional and national action. This resolution calls for:  

• Governments to prevent amphibian extinctions by investing in long-term, country-level implementation of the IUCN Assess-Plan-Act framework; protect Key Biodiversity Areas and other habitats important for amphibians; and continue to promote the regulation and monitoring of species involved in trade. 

• Donors to provide sustainable support and funding to the SSC and its amphibian conservation partners. 

• The collaboration of the SCC and the scientific community with others to update and develop guidelines on key topics of relevance to amphibian conservation, including measures for amphibians impacted by climate change, management of disease in the wild, appropriately sized natural reserves, and other thematic issues as required.  

We also call upon the Director General of the IUCN, the Species Survival Commission, non-governmental organizations, donors, and the scientific community to support governments in exercising their full responsibilities to achieve Targets 1, 3, and 4 of the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework, which include acting to prevent amphibian extinctions and support their recovery through long-term country-level investment in the Assess-Plan-Act framework of the IUCN. 

CPSG and Amphibian Conservation

For the Conservation Planning Specialist Group of the IUCN SSC, this resolution reinforces the need for science-based and inclusive planning to translate global priorities into local, actionable plans. Our role within the Assess-Plan-Act framework and the CPSG Principles and Steps are long-time proven and are used by SSC teams worldwide to guide species recovery, and amphibians are no exception. We look forward to working together with the Amphibian Coalition to set threatened amphibian species on a path to recovery. 

What are IUCN Motions? 

Motions are the mechanism by which IUCN Members influence third parties and guide the policy and Programme of IUCN. As the only international conservation forum that brings governments, civil society, and indigenous peoples’ organizations to the same table, the IUCN Members’ Assembly carries a powerful mandate. Members vote to approve motions, and once adopted, they become Resolutions and Recommendations, and therefore the body of IUCN’s general policy. (Taken from IUCNcongress2025.org). 

Read more:

You can read more in our recent publication on Oryx magazine here. 

Find the approved IUCN Motion 075 here. This motion was submitted by Synchronicity Earth, and co-sponsored by the following organizations: Re:wild (USA), Zoological Society of London (UK), PROVITA (Venezuela), New Mexico BioPark Society (USA), Durrell Wildlife Conservation Trust (UK), Mandai Nature Fund Ltd (Singapore), Wildlife Trust of India (India), Herp Conservation Ghana (Ghana), FUNDAECO- Fundación para el Ecodesarrollo y la Conservación (Guatemala).