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Things are not looking great for frogs, salamanders, and other amphibians around the world. Out of some 6,000 amphibian species, nearly 2,000 are now threatened with extinction.

Amphibians dwell in both land and water, so they are exposed to the environmental problem--including habitat loss, climate change, and pollution-- of both habitats. Furthering their susceptibility to environmental threats, their thin skins are permeable to toxins. And now, amphibians are battling another major threat: a mysterious chytrid fungus sweeping the globe.

In response to these threats, the global conservation community has launched a project called Amphibian Ark. In the program, Zoos, botanical gardens, and aquariums, will be asked to take in at least 500 frogs from a threatened species and store them in bio-secure containers. There, the amphibians will be cleaned of the fungus, safe from other environmental threats and free to breed. By housing these species in multiple facilities, scientists hope to reduce the risk of species loss due to localized problems. By preserving amphibian species, Amphibian Ark has hopes of replenishing wild species as they are diminished.

With some luck, the Amphibian Ark may prevent at least a few amphibian species from "croaking" for good.