For hundreds of millions of years, this croaking lullaby has filled the nighttime air.

幾億年來，這首呱呱安眠曲已瀰漫在夜裡的空氣中。

But recent studies suggest that these frogs are in danger of playing their final note.

但是最近的研究報告顯示，這些青蛙的歌聲有可能成為絕響。

Over the past few decades, amphibian populations have been rapidly disappearing worldwide.

過去的數十年來，兩棲動物的數量在全世界快速減少。

Nearly one-third of the world's amphibian species are endanger of extinction, and over 100 species have already disappeared.

將近全世界 1/3 的兩棲動物成為瀕危物種，超過上百種物種已經消失。

But don't worry, there's still hope.

但是別擔心，還有一線希望。

Before we get into how to save the frogs, let's start by taking a look at why they're disappearing and why it's important to keep them around.

在我們開始投入拯救青蛙之前，讓我們先來看看牠們為什麼會消失，還有為什麼讓牠們生活在我們週遭如此重要。

Habitat destruction is the number one problem for frog populations around the world.

棲息地破壞是頭號問題，和全球青蛙的數量息息相關。

There are seven billion humans on the planet, and we compete with frogs for habitat.

世界上有 70 億人口，我們和青蛙爭奪棲息地。

We build cities, suburbs, and farms on top of frog habitat and chop forests and drain the wetlands that serve as home for numerous amphibian populations.

我們就在青蛙的棲息地上建造城市、郊區和田園，並且砍伐森林、流乾溼地，那是無數兩棲動物的家。

Climate change alters precipitation levels, drying up ponds, streams, and cloud forests.

氣候變遷變化急遽，湖泊、河流和雲霧森林乾涸。

As the Earth's human population continues to grow, so will the threats amphibians face.

當地球上的人類數目持續攀升，兩棲動物面臨的威脅也愈來愈大。

There are a variety of other factors contributing to the frogs' decline.

還有許多不同的因素造成青蛙的數量減少。

Over-harvesting for the pet and food trade results in millions of frogs being taken out of the wild each year.

為了做為寵物和食物的買賣而過度捕捉，造成上百萬隻青蛙每年消失在荒野中。

Invasive species, such as non-native trout and crawfish, eat native frogs.

入侵物種像是外來的鱒魚和小龍蝦都會吃本土的青蛙。

Humans are facilitating the spread of infectious diseases by shipping over 100 million amphibians around the world each year for use as food, pets, bait,

透過運送上億隻的兩棲動物到世界各地供做食物、動物、餌，人類加速了傳染病的散播，

and in laboratories and zoos, with few regulations or quarantines.

兩棲動物也做為實驗室和動物園使用，但只有少數的法令和檢疫來規範。

One of these diseases, chytridiomycosis, has driven stream-dwelling amphibian populations to extinction in Africa, Australia, Europe, and North, Central, and South America.

這些疾病之中的壺菌病讓棲息在河川的兩棲動物消失，不再存在於非洲、澳洲、歐洲和美國的北、中南部。

On top of all these problems, we add hundreds of millions of kilograms of pesticides to our ecosystems each year.

最嚴重的問題是，我們每年都增加了上億公斤的殺蟲劑在我們的生態系統中。

And these chemicals are easily absorbed through amphibians' permeable skin, causing immunosuppression,

這些化學物質能夠輕易地透過兩棲動物可滲透的皮膚被吸收，造成免疫抑制，

or a weakened immune system, and developmental deformities.

或是免疫系統變弱，以及引發突變。

Okay, so why are these little green guys worth keeping around?

那為什麼這些綠色的小傢伙值得留在世界上？

Frogs are important for a multitude of reasons.

青蛙重要的原因如下：

They're an integral part of the food web, eating flies, ticks, mosquitoes, and other disease vectors, thus, protecting us against malaria, dengue fever, and other illnesses.

牠們是食物鏈中不可或缺的一部分，牠們吃蒼蠅、壁蝨、蚊子和其它病菌傳染源，因此讓我們免於瘧疾、登革熱和其它疾病的侵襲。

Tadpoles keep waterways clean by feeding on algae, reducing the demand on our community's filtration systems and keeping our cost of water low.

淨蝌蚪吃下藻類後讓水道保持潔淨，降低社區對過濾系統的需求，並能減少水的消耗。

Frogs serve as a source of food for birds, fish, snakes, dragonflies, and even monkeys.

青蛙也是某些動物的食物來源，像是鳥、魚、蛇、蜻蜓，甚至是猴子。

When frogs disappear, the food web is disturbed, and other animals can disappear as well.

當青蛙消失後，食物鏈會受到影響，其它的動物也可能跟著消失。

Amphibians are also extremely important in human medicine.

兩棲動物對人類的藥物也十分重要。

Over ten percent of the Nobel prizes in physiology and medicine have gone to researchers whose work depended on amphibians.

超過 10% 的生理學與醫學諾貝爾獎得主透過對兩棲動物的實驗來完成他們的研究。

Some of the antimicrobial peptides on frog skin can kill HIV, some act as pain killers, and others serve as natural mosquito repellents.

某些在青蛙皮膚上的抗菌胜肽能夠殺死人類免疫缺陷病毒，或做為止痛藥還有做為天然的防蚊液。

Many discoveries await us if we can save the frogs, but when a frog species disappears, so does any promise it holds for improving human health.

如果我們能夠拯救青蛙，還有更多的好處等著我們去發現，但是當青蛙滅絕後，還有人能保證有其它方式來改善人類的健康嗎？

Fortunately, there are lots of ways you can help, and the best place to start is by improving your ecological footprint and day-to-day actions.

幸運的是，你能幫上許多忙，最適合開始的方式是改善你的生態足跡，每天實踐。

The next time you listen to that nighttime lullaby, don't think of it as just another background noise,

下回當你聽見夜裡的安眠曲時，別認為那只是另一個背景雜音，

hear it as a call for help, sung in perfect croaking harmony.

把它當作是牠們在用美妙的呱呱和聲向你呼救。