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Mediterranean Temporary Ponds (MTPs) represent a priority habitat according to Directive 92/43/EEC (Natura 2000 code: 3170*). These are very shallow water habitats only seasonally flooded, with a flora mainly composed of Mediterranean therophytic and geophytic species. Its extreme seasonality and small size make this habitat highly vulnerable and hard to manage. In recent Italian monitoring campaigns, the conservation status of MTP 3170* was considered inadequate. In Apulia, where the habitat is considered as “the most vulnerable type”, 73 sites were censused, with a total coverage of about 10,000 m2. The present work refers to the monitoring for three years of a total of 16 habitat 3170* sites, with the aim of better describing faunal indicator species for this priority habitat. A total of 158 taxa of flora and 103 of fauna were identified from 54 floristic and 44 faunistic samplings in total, with a robust updating of the listed biodiversity. For the first time a group of faunal species is proposed as an indicator of the habitat MTP 3170*. The conservation status, assessed on the basis of structural and functional criteria, gave a satisfactory status for seven sites and an unsatisfactory one (variously rated as inadequate or bad) for nine.

Detecting the trends of species and populations is fundamental to identifying taxa with high conservation priority. Unfortunately, long-term monitoring programs are challenging and often lacking. The Italian agile frog Rana latastei is endemic to Northern Italy and adjacent countries, is considered vulnerable by the IUCN, and is protected at the European level. However, quantitative estimates of its decline are extremely scarce. In this study, we document the trends in abundance and distribution of Rana latastei within Monza Park, which currently represents the area closer to the type locality of the species and holds unique genetic features. Wetlands within the park were monitored from 2000 to 2023; counts of egg clutches were taken as a measure of reproductive output and the abundance of breeding females. In 2000, the species occurred over a significant proportion of the park. Total abundance showed strong yearly variation but remained rather constant from 2000 to 2019. However, Rana latastei disappeared from the park around 2021 and was never detected in 2022–2023. The decline is probably related to the joint effect of multiple factors, including the conversion of breeding sites for farming, inappropriate water management, invasive alien species, and severe drought. The local extinction of Rana latastei occurred despite legal protection, highlighting the need for more effective and stringent tools for the conservation of European biodiversity.