Abstract

The Great Crested Newt (Triturus cristatus) is considered threatened throughout Europe; consequently, the species and its breeding habitat are protected in many countries. Translocation of a population is a conservation tool used when habitat occupied by a species is scheduled to be destroyed by human development. The outcome of these translocations is rarely monitored. This study describes and discusses a translocation of T. cristatus in south-central Sweden (Orebro), which occurred because of planned destruction of breeding habitat associated with development of a shopping and industrial area. We provide quantitative data concerning numbers of relocated amphibians and subsequent monitoring in both the pond being destroyed, which is serving as the source of newts to be translocated, and the pond that received the translocated newts. The translocation exemplifies how difficult it is to determine size and conservation value of a population without thorough initial investigations. A large part of the translocated population seemed to disappear at the receiving area, which initially indicated that the translocation was ineffective. Nevertheless, longer term monitoring indicated that a population was established and reproduced in the new habitat. We argue that translocation should never be a first choice to make human development possible but one should always strive for preservation of an existing habitat. However, if a translocation is unavoidable, an appriopriate assessment of the affected population should be performed and a detailed analysis of habitats in the potential receiving areas should be carried out to select an area best fitted for the species in question.

Keywords

Amphibia; Caudata; conservation management; introduction; monitoring

Published in

HERPETOLOGICAL CONSERVATION AND BIOLOGY
2016, Volume: 11, number: 3, pages: 552-562
Publisher: HERPETOLOGICAL CONSERVATION & BIOLOGY

SLU Authors

• Gustafsson, Daniel

  • School for Forest Management, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences
    
  • Örebro County Administrative Board

• Mikusinski, Grzegorz

  • School for Forest Management, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences
    
  • Department of Ecology, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences
    

UKÄ Subject classification

Ecology
Environmental Sciences
Zoology


Permanent link to this page (URI)

https://res.slu.se/id/publ/80372