for 18 years now, scientists have discussed the reasons for the global decimation of amphibian populations. The cause list has been expanding: from pesticides, to new diseases, to climate change that exacerbates both. But there is little confusion on what's driving nature's hardiest, most adaptive creatures to the brink. Mounting evidence points at environmental contamination and changes in climate regimes (see Features: Can amphibians tackle climate change?). Those who don't much care for what happens to toads and frogs need to remember that this is nature's way of indicating what may be in store for larger invertebrates, such as human beings.

The trouble with environmental management is that a lot of evidence is required for people to sit up and take notice of what's wrong with our living space. Climate change, for instance, has now gone mainstream. For years, environmentalists have been labelled doomsayers and pessimists