PROJECT DESCRIPTION
BACKGROUND
Pelobates fuscus insubricus is an endemic subspecies of amphibian found only in a few localities of the Po Basin in northern Italy. The rarest and most restricted amphibian in Italy, it has been classified since 1975 as an endangered species by the IUCN Red Data Book and is a priority species under the Habitats Directive.
Currently the subspecies is represented by about 13 populations which are breeding actively. They are geographically isolated, relegated to restricted wetlands and consist of very small numbers of individuals. A sharp decline, both of the numbers of sites where they occur as of the number of individuals, has been observed in recent years and the most recent observation data only lists ten sites, two of which are located in Piedmont.
The surviving populations are simultaneously threatened by human activities such as agriculture (drainage of pools) and recreation (introduction of exotic fish to have more angling 'sport') and by natural factors (terrestrialisation of wetlands). The introduction ofRana catasbeiana, which competes against Pelobates, is another sword of Damocles hanging over the subspecies.
OBJECTIVES
The project, aiming at the conservation of Pelobates fuscus insubricus and its natural habitat, intended to carry out urgent conservation measures at the breeding sites, in particular those which have been included in the Nature 2000 network.
Public and private bodies were to be involved in order to draw up a comprehensive strategy for the conservation of Pelobates and other species of frogs, toads and reptiles of European interest found in small bodies of surface water.
In two pSCIs in Piedmont where presence of the species was known, the project intended to restore ecological equilibria and expand the wetlands by planting vegetation and regulating the hydrological regime. Interventions to control populations of exotic amphibians and fish, and possibly exterminate them, were to be carried out using the most modern techniques - bloodless and with only minor impact. A measure, which was fundamental to the success of the project, was raising different age cohorts of Pelobates fuscus insubricus in captivity and releasing them at secured sites,in order to ensure both an increase in the number of individuals in a population as in the number of populations themselves.
RESULTS
The main outputs of the project are:
The beneficiary demonstrated the capacity of using the Pelobates to catalyse actions for the conservation of sites, habitats and species: several other amphibians, some of Community importance, inhabit the ponds where Pelobates is found.
A positive aspect of the project is that new forms of collaboration have started with local administrations where the project took place, like Santena and Bellinzago Novarese, to define and realise studies for a more sustainable management of their territories. The beneficiary reached agreements with local authorities for the sustainable exploitation of agricultural resources and for further restoration activities in pSCIs where Pelobates lives.
Moreover, taking into account the results of the LIFE project, the company in charge of the elaboration of the management plan of the Poirino Favari pSCI, on behalf of the regional administration, proposed to join the in 4 sub-sites, in which the pSCI is currently fragmented, in only one allowing a more effective conservation of the reproductive sites of Pelobates.
Following the intense awareness activity of the LIFE project, an increasing number of local people were made aware of the environmental problems concerning the area. A public campaign, catalyzing also the interest of the local landowners, resulted in halting the realization of the waste plant in Carignano, which would have had a major impact on the pSCI. The Pelobates image was therefore linked to the chance (successful) of not having a waste dump in the area. The Action Plan is included in a volume on Pelobates fuscus insubricus and is integrated by a general study summarizing the results of the monitoring carried out during the project and describing distribution, biology and legislative framework at national and international level, with references to the Habitat Directive and to the Nature 2000 network. The Action Plan proposes two levels of implementation: local actions within pSCIs, basically carried out by this project, and actions and initiatives which should influence Pelobates fuscus insubricus conservation in general. The Italian Ministry of Environment is currently evaluating the adoption of the Action Plan. The measures carried out for the eradication of alien species brought about different results. In the “Poirino Favari” pSCI, the situation of the American bullfrog seemed definitively under control, while the number of Louisiana swamp crayfish was still high. Although its negative impact on spade-foot toad has not yet been proved, its potential role as predator on eggs and tadpoles suggests the opportunity of a future eradication (e.g. by means of recurring winter drainage of the ponds). The coypu population present in the area of Bellinzago was being controlled through selective capture. Specimens were delivered to the Provincial administration, with the collaboration of the Ticino Regional Park.
