First, the frogs died. Then people got sick

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🗞️ Driving the news: New research from Panama reveals a striking link between collapsing frog populations and human malaria outbreaks
• As amphibians across Central America die from the chytrid fungus (Bd), fewer tadpoles remain to consume mosquito larvae — triggering a fivefold rise in malaria cases in affected regions
• Scientists are now racing to reintroduce species wiped out from local forests

🔭 The context: Bd, a deadly skin fungus that spread globally in recent decades, has driven more than 90 amphibian species to critical decline or presumed extinction
• In Panama’s cloud forests, biologists from the Smithsonian have built a “frog ark” to breed and reintroduce vulnerable species such as the Panamanian golden frog and Pratt’s rocket frog
• An interdisciplinary team of ecologists and economists mapped Bd’s spread and found malaria cases rising precisely where frogs vanished

🌍 Why it matters for the planet: This case reveals how biodiversity loss directly harms human health
• Frogs help regulate mosquito populations; without them, vector-borne diseases surge
• Similar knock-on effects have been documented globally — from bat declines leading to more pesticide exposure, to vulture die-offs fueling rabies outbreaks
• The findings strengthen the “One Health” argument: safeguarding ecosystems is essential to safeguarding people

⏭️ What's next: Scientists are testing whether captive-bred, potentially fungus-resistant frogs can survive in the wild
• Early releases equipped with micro-trackers will show whether rewilding can restore lost ecological functions
• Policymakers are watching closely, as such research could influence conservation funding, climate-health planning and future disease-prevention strategies

💬 One quote: “If we could link it to people, maybe we could get more traction. Maybe people would care.” — Karen Lips, ecologist studying frog declines

📈 One stat: 500+ amphibian species worldwide have been harmed by the chytrid fungus — the most devastating recorded wildlife disease outbreak

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