PROJECT DESCRIPTION
BACKGROUND
The Aeolian wall lizard – known in Latin as ‘Podarcis raffonei’ – is among the most endangered of European reptiles. Endemic to the Aeolian archipelago of Sicily, only four known populations survive today. They are found in geographically isolated locations, namely the three tiny islets of Strombolicchio, Scoglio Faraglione, La Canna, and a small promontory in Capo Grosso, on Vulcano Island. The species is considered ‘Critically Endangered’ (CR) because it occupies an area which spans less than 10 km². Its distribution is severely fragmented, and the numbers of the endangered species continue to decline across the Aeolian Islands. It is listed among the CR species in the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List; some 2 000 individuals remain and they are present in a lower overall area of 15 000 m². Such extreme isolation also leads to a lack of gene flow, low genetic variability, and inbreeding. Both ecological and anthropogenetic factors determine the current fragmented distribution and the demise of populations. The Aeolian wall lizard is considered to have once inhabited other islands of the archipelago before becoming isolated and sparsely distributed due to habitat loss and degradation. It has also faced the threat of the anthropic introduction of the Italian wall lizard, known as,‘Podarcis siculus’, an extremely competitive species that has been able to colonise North America, many European countries, and numerous Mediterranean islands. The impact of the country lizard on the Aeolian wall lizard is not limited to aspects of competitive exclusion. It is also impacted by the hybridisation process between the two species, as noted in recent times. Threats include the loss and fragmentation of suitable habitats, caused primarily by overgrazing, and anthropogenic disturbance due to tourism and urbanization on the major islands. All these threats may have contributed to and still influence the decline of populations but no conservation efforts have been undertaken to date.
Relevant Habitat Directive references:
The Aeolian wall lizard Podarcis raffonei (Mertens, 1952) is protected under the Annex IV of the EU Directive 92/43/EEC as P. raffoneae ex. Podarcis wagleriana (species code 5795). The latest National Report foreseen under the Art. 17, presented in 2019, confirms the dire status identified by the IUCN and classed as CR. The overall trend in the conservation status is deteriorating, and range, population, future prospects and overall assessment of conservation status are all unfavourable (U2).
Natura 2000 sites involved: SCI Isola di Panarea e Scogli Viciniori (ITA030025); SPA Arcipelago delle Eolie –area marina e terrestre (ITA030044); SCI Isola di Vulcano (ITA030027).
OBJECTIVES
The main objective of the LIFE EOLIZARD project is to improve the conservation status and to contribute to the vitality in the medium to long term of the Aeolian wall lizard, addressing the extinction of the species through conservation efforts directed at existing populations, habitat restoration and the creation of two sanctuaries where captive bred Aeolian wall lizard species can reproduce and repopulate.
The specific objectives of the project can be summarised as follows:
- Managing the Capo Grosso population of the Aeolian wall lizard by restoring natural habitats and controlling rats to ensure they can thrive. Vegetation on the cliff will be managed by reinstituting sustainable goat grazing during the autumn and winter months.
- Selecting a pool of founder individual species of the Aeolian wall lizard characterised by the highest genetic diversity that maximises the success rate of reintroduction. The genetic characterization of lizards also prevents the inclusion of possible hybrid lizards belonging to the population from Capo Grosso promontory that recently came into contact with wall lizards.
- Improving the reproductive capacity of the Fondazione Bioparco di Roma and building an in-situ captive breeding centre in the Aeolian archipelago in the Malfa municipality, and producing 750 captive bred wall lizards to be moved to two suitable sanctuary islands, that will ensure the propagation of the species over the medium and long-term.
- Building two raffonei sanctuary islands, by removing the competing species and releasing captive bred individuals on the islets of Lisca Bianca and Bottaro. The existing populations of the competing Italian wall lizard will be relocated from those islets to the island of Panarea.
- Producing a captive breeding protocol and action plan for the conservation of the Aeolian wall lizard, and a translocation protocol for Italian wall lizards from islets in which their nonnative status and negative effect on native lizards are demonstrated.
- Disseminating the project results, contributing to the environmental knowledge and awareness on the importance of conservation efforts. Engage Aeolian youth in volunteer activities regarding the release of species and the capture, release, and monitoring of their translocation. Networking events will be organised to exchange the know-how of the methodologies and field problems.
- Transferring and replicating the knowledge gained, and results produced, good practices and effective methodologies to restore Aeolian wall lizards, through workshops, training courses and capacity building sessions.
RESULTS
The main expected impact of the project is to protect and repopulate the Aeolian wall lizard by mitigating all the main threats affecting the endangered species. It is anticipated that the size of the existing population could increase by up to 140% by building a two-islets sanctuary where captive bred lizards will be introduced. As for the habitat degradation that affects the only population in decline, such as those from Capo Grosso, it is expected that habitat restoration will halt and reverse the species decline.
In detail:
- 5 000m² on Capo Grosso promontory will be managed through rat control and sustainable grazing via habitat restoration activities. 100% of the habitat on Capo Grosso will be improved to make it more suitable for wall lizards through the elimination of rats and by increasing the availability of areas for thermoregulation and foraging through sustainable goat grazing. Both actions will have an immediate and positive effect on both the extent and quality of the habitat for the target species and the carrying capacity of the site, which will be able to support a much larger number of lizards.
- Two selected islets, namely Lisca Bianca and Bottaro will be made suitable for the introduction of wall lizards through the translocation of the whole populations of the Italian wall lizard inhabiting the islets. A few thousand invasive lizards are expected to be removed from the area designated as the sanctuary.
- The project will therefore reduce the area occupied by two alien invasive species: the black rat (Rattus rattus) and the Italian wall lizard (Podarcis siculus). The black rat will be removed from Capo Grosso promontory and the Italian wall lizard from Lisca Bianca and Bottaro islets and translocated to Panarea island. The overall occupied area reduction will be 0.005 km² for the black rat and 0.235 km² for the Italian wall lizard. Beside the Aeolian wall lizard, other species like Scopoli's shearwater – known in Latin as ‘Calonectris Diomedea’– will indirectly benefit from rat control.
- A captive breeding action starting with wall lizards selected on a genetic base will produce two populations, one from Capo Grosso promontory originators and one from Scoglio Faraglione islet founders, 80 adults each of an estimated overall number of 750 lizards.
- The project foresees the elaboration of an action plan for the conservation of lizards and two protocols: a captive breeding protocol to adopt at national level and possibly applied to other endangered lizards, and a translocation protocol to adopt at European level. All these documents will be drafted by the National Institute for Environmental Protection and Research (ISPRA). Furthermore, a replication plan will assure further benefits and impacts to the project in other geographical areas.
