Bolitoglossa mexicana by Tim Halliday
ISSN 1026-0269
FROGLOG Newsletter of the Declining Amphibian Populations Task Force February 2002, Number 49.
Crisis Less Severe for the Po Valley Spadefoot, Pelobates fuscus insubricus By Vincenzo Ferri, Italian DAPTF Working Group & Toads Project Among Italy's endemic anurans, the Po Valley spadefoot Pelobates fuscus insubricus is today the most localized and the one with the lowest number of known populations. It is consequently regarded as an endangered species by the I.U.C.N., as well as being awarded priority status by EEC Habitat Directive 92/43. The species is recorded only at some 15 locations in the Po Valley, and in the two regions of Piedmont (breeding at three sites in 2000) and Lombardy (breeding at four sites in 2000) (http://utenti.tripod .it/bufo2000/index.html). In Piedmont, WWF Italy has implemented conservation measures since 1989 involving identification of new populations and breeding sites, together with demands for the extension of the area of the Ticino Valley Natural Park, and for areas where Pelobates fuscus insubricus is present to be designated Important Sites at Community level. From 1988 the “Pelobates” Center at Spinea (Province of Venice), run by the Milano branch of WWF Italy, has hosted a project for breeding Po Valley spadefoots in semi-natural conditions, with a view to release into the wild. In April the captive population began breeding, allowing the start of an experimental reintroduction scheme, conducted in partnership with the Museum of Natural History in Udine, in an area in the region of Friuli (Bosco della Man di Ferro – San Vito al Tagliamento). In 1998, the Region of Lombardy began a three-year scheme, coordinated by the University of Pavia’s Biology Department, for the
conservation and creation of new populations of Pelobates fuscus insubricus in a number of riparian nature parks in Lombardy. In 1999 the Societas Herpetologica Italica designated the principal Lombard sites, Somma Lombardo (Prov. of Varese) and Torricella del Pizzo (Prov. of Cremona), and the Piedmontese site of Cameri (Prov. of Novara) as areas of national herpetological interest (A.R.E.N. in Italian), joining with competent local authorities in laying down guidelines for land use compatible with maximum protection for the habitat of reptiles and amphibians. From 1998 to 2000, WWF Italy promoted and implemented a LIFE Natura Project “Urgent actions for conservation of Pelobates fuscus insubricus”) aimed at monitoring sites where the species occurred in Piedmont, restoring wetlands at sites where its presence was confirmed, expanding breeding-centers and working out an Action Plan for conservation of the taxon. In 2000, the Ticino Valley Natural Park (www.parcodeltino.pm n.it) introduced a new scheme for protection of the species in the area under its control, which obtained approval and funding from the EU and from the Region of Piedmont: "Pelobates Project in the Piedmont Ticino Valley Natural Park". The area covered by the Project represents the principal site for the Po Valley spadefoot and also the area with the highest number of populations (or meta-populations) and individuals (probably over 50%). Since 1985 the main breeding sites of this area have been rice paddies and their irrigation canals. Agricultural policy has reduced rice-growing by more than 80% over the past 15 years, causing a drastic contraction in the habitat of these rare amphibians. Furthermore, the reduction of aquatic habitats has caused concentration of both amphibians and predators in the few remaining rice
paddies, reducing even further the spadefoots' breeding success. The importance of these populations is fundamental for the future of the species. Population reinforcement and reintroduction projects active in other well known Po Valley sites and the constitution and maintenance of breeding centers, such as those of WWF Italy, are based on the eggs, tadpoles or breeding adults which come from the Ticino Valley Natural Park. For these reasons, the main objective of the "Spadefoot Project" is to stop the reduction in number of ideal aquatic areas for the breeding of Pelobates fuscus insubricus. In order to achieve this goal, significant parts of well-known aquatic and terrestrial focal areas have been purchased, and negotiations are underway with landowners to lease other important areas for periods of several years and to make new wet zones. The acquired areas will be managed to obtain the best reproductive success. If necessary, the pressure from predators in other available wet zones will be reduced. The Ticino Valley Natural Park will support landowners opting for ecological cultivation. New methodology for soil preparation will be experimented with by local farmers to obtain maximum agricultural yields, while maintaining breeding success at the same time. The Regional Agency for Environmental Protection of Novara will permit water monitoring work, while the water supplies required for anuran breeding success will be sourced by the digging of a well and improvements to the water retention of old reservoirs. Installation of drift fence systems and tunnels under road surfaces, together with the closure of country lanes during breeding migration, will increase the survival rate of breeding adults. Population monitoring, especially as regards breeding phenology and results, will allow the other objectives of the project to be secured: the possibility to move
The World Conservation Union (IUCN)/Species Survival Commission (SSC) The Open University ● The World Congress of Herpetology ● Harvard University