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The infectious chytrid fungus Batrachochytrium salamandrivorans (Bsal) has been responsible for severe population declines of salamander populations in Europe. Serious population declines and loss of urodelan diversity may occur if appropriate action is not taken to mitigate against the further spread and impact of Bsal. We provide an overview of several potential mitigation methods, and describe their possible advantages and limitations. We conclude that long-term, context-dependent, multi-faceted approaches are needed to successfully mitigate adverse effects of Bsal, and that these approaches should be initiated pre-arrival of the pathogen. The establishment of ex situ assurance colonies, or management units, for species threatened with extinction, should be considered as soon as possible. While ex situ conservation and preventive measures aimed at improving biosecurity by limiting amphibian trade may be implemented quickly, major challenges that lie ahead are in designing in situ disease containment and mitigation post-arrival and in increasing public awareness.

Within its range, the Caspian green lizard, Lacerta strigata, occurs in the Elburz Mountains (northern Iran) at elevations from below sea level to approximately 2700 m a.s.l. To determine the environmental factors affecting the distribution of this lizard, we used an ensemble approach to model the distribution of the Caspian green lizard (Lacerta strigata) in Iran using four algorithms (generalized boosted model, maximum entropy, generalized linear model, random forest). Results revealed that low-elevation habitats between the Elburz Mountains and the Caspian Sea are the most suitable habitats for the species. The normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI), annual precipitation (both with positive relationships), and altitude (with a negative relationship) were the most important environmental variables influencing the distribution of the species. NDVI was likely the most important variable because it is an indicator of plant productivity, which presumably influences the availability of food resources such as insects. We also tested the validity of an old distribution record for the species near Shiraz in southwestern Iran. The results show that southwestern Iran is not ecologically suitable for the species. As our results highlighted that the NDVI strongly affects distribution of the species, we suggest protection of vegetation cover in the habitat of the species for conservation of Lacerta strigata.

Climate change is now considered as a serious threat to the viability of many species and consequently as one of the major drivers of global biodiversity loss. Amphibians serve critical roles in forest ecosystems and are one of the most sensitive groups to environmental change. Despite the importance of amphibians in forest ecosystems and their sensitivity to environmental changes, little is known about potential impacts of future climate change on forest-dwelling amphibians. We projected the impact of climate change on the geographic distribution of three typical species of forest-dwelling amphibians, the Balkan Crested Newt (Triturus ivanbureschi), the Anatolian Crested Newt (T. anatolicus) and the Southern Crested Newt (T. karelinii). We also evaluated the representation of suitable habitats of the three crested newts in protected areas under the current and future climatic condition. We found that the Balkan Crested Newt and the Anatolian Crested Newt are likely to lose considerable proportions of their currently suitable habitats in the future as climate changes, while the Southern Crested Newt is likely to gain new habitats. Results showed that the future coverage of the most suitable habitats inside protected areas would drop by 22% and 49.2% for the Balkan Crested Newt and for the Anatolian Crested Newt, respectively. However, results showed a 15.7% increase in the suitable habitats of the Southern Crested Newt inside protected areas. Our study suggests that forest biodiversity will be negatively affected by future climatic change. Our findings also highlight the importance of integrating the impacts of climate change into designation of new protected areas in mountain forests of the Near East.

Here we report the discovery and partial characterization of a novel herpesvirus tentatively named Bufonid herpesvirus 1 (BfHV1) from severe dermatitis in free ranging common toads (Bufo bufo) in Switzerland. The disease has been observed in toads every year since 2014, in spring, during the mating season, at different and distant locations. The virus is found in the skin and occasionally in the brain of infected toads. The genome of the virus is at least 158 Kb long and contains at least 152 open reading frames with a minimal length of 270 nt. The genome of BfHV1 contains all the signature genes that are present in alloherpesviruses. Phylogenetic analysis based on the amino acid sequence of the DNA polymerase and terminase proteins positions the novel virus among the members of the genus Batrachovirus, family Alloherpesviridae. This is the first herpesvirus ever characterized in common toads.

Die Schweiz hat sich verpflichtet, ihre große biologische Vielfalt zu schützen und den Lebensraumverlust und das Aussterben bedrohter Arten zu unterbinden. Deshalb hat die Schweiz unter anderem seit Beginn der 1990er-Jahre rund 6.000 »Objekte von nationaler Bedeutung« ausgewiesen, darunter Hoch- und Flachmoore, Trockenwiesen und -weiden (TWW), Auen und Amphibienlaichgebiete. Die Wirkungskontrolle Biotopschutz ist ein 2011 langfristig angelegtes Programm zum Monitoring dieser Lebensräume. Luftbildanalysen und Felderhebungen bilden die Datengrundlage, um Veränderungen in den Biotopen von nationaler Bedeutung aufzuzeigen und die Wirksamkeit der Schutzmaßnahmen zu kontrollieren. Analysen zeigen, dass Moore und TWW zunehmend verbuschen, Moore trockener und nährstoffreicher werden und die lokale Anzahl der Amphibienarten abnimmt. Um diesen Trend, und damit den Lebensraum- und Artenverlust aufzuhalten, sollten die Schutzbemühungen auf nationaler Ebene möglichst rasch verstärkt werden.

Vague and/or ad hoc definitions of the area sampled in monitoring efforts are common, and estimates of ecological state variables (e.g. distribution and abundance) can be sensitive to such specifications. The uncertainty in population metrics due to data deficiencies, vague definitions of space and lack of standardized protocols is a major challenge for monitoring, managing and conserving amphibian and reptile populations globally. This is especially true for the slow-worm (Anguis fragilis), a cryptic and fossorial legless lizard; uncertainty about spatial variation in density has hindered conservation efforts (e.g. in translocation projects). Spatial capture–recapture (SCR) methods can be used to estimate density while simultaneously and explicitly accounting for space and individual movement. We use SCR to analyse mark–recapture data of the slow-worm that were collected using artificial cover objects (ACO). Detectability varied among ACO grids and through the season. Estimates of slow-worm density varied across ACO grids (13, 45 and 46 individuals ha−1, respectively). The estimated 95% home range size of slow-worms was 0.38 ha. Our estimates provide valuable information about slow-worm spatial ecology that can be used to inform future conservation management.

The pervasive and unabated nature of global amphibian declines suggests common demographic responses to a given driver, and quantification of major drivers and responses could inform broad-scale conservation actions. We explored the influence of climate on demographic parameters (i.e., changes in the probabilities of survival and recruitment) using 31 datasets from temperate zone amphibian populations (North America and Europe) with more than a decade of observations each. There was evidence for an influence of climate on population demographic rates, but the direction and magnitude of responses to climate drivers was highly variable among taxa and among populations within taxa. These results reveal that climate drivers interact with variation in life-history traits and population-specific attributes resulting in a diversity of responses. This heterogeneity complicates the identification of conservation ‘rules of thumb’ for these taxa, and supports the notion of local focus as the most effective approach to overcome global-scale conservation challenges.

Emerging infectious diseases cause extirpation of wildlife populations. We use an epidemiological model to explore the effects of a recently emerged disease caused by the salamander-killing chytrid fungus Batrachochytrium salamandrivorans (Bsal) on host populations, and to evaluate which mitigation measures are most likely to succeed. As individuals do not recover from Bsal, we used a model with the states susceptible, latent and infectious, and parametrized the model using data on host and pathogen taken from the literature and expert opinion. The model suggested that disease outbreaks can occur at very low host densities (one female per hectare). This density is far lower than host densities in the wild. Therefore, all naturally occurring populations are at risk. Bsal can lead to the local extirpation of the host population within a few months. Disease outbreaks are likely to fade out quickly. A spatial variant of the model showed that the pathogen could potentially spread rapidly. As disease mitigation during outbreaks is unlikely to be successful, control efforts should focus on preventing disease emergence and transmission between populations. Thus, this emerging wildlife disease is best controlled through prevention rather than subsequent actions.

In surveillance of subterranean fauna, especially in the case of rare or elusive aquatic species, traditional techniques used for epigean species are often not feasible. We developed a non-invasive survey method based on environmental DNA (eDNA) to detect the presence of the red-listed cave-dwelling amphibian, Proteus anguinus, in the caves of the Dinaric Karst. We tested the method in fifteen caves in Croatia, from which the species was previously recorded or expected to occur. We successfully confirmed the presence of P. anguinus from ten caves and detected the species for the first time in five others. Using a hierarchical occupancy model we compared the availability and detection probability of eDNA of two water sampling methods, filtration and precipitation. The statistical analysis showed that both availability and detection probability depended on the method and estimates for both probabilities were higher using filter samples than for precipitation samples. Combining reliable field and laboratory methods with robust statistical modeling will give the best estimates of species occurrence.

Die Zauneidechse, die sich sonnt, die Ringelnatter, die bei Störung schnell und geräuschlos im Weiher abtaucht, der grüne Laubfrosch, der im Frühsommer nachts nach einem Weibchen ruft – Amphibien und Reptilien gehören zu unserem Bild von intakter Natur einerseits und haben andererseits unsere Fantasie seit Jahrhunderten in Form von Lindwürmern und Giftschlangen bevölkert. Die meisten der heimischen Arten sind jedoch immer seltener zu sehen und einige bereits vom Aussterben bedroht. Die Gründe dafür sind so vielfältig, wie die Amphibien und Reptilien es selbst sind. Dieser Band stellt alle heimischen Amphibien- und Reptilienarten vor und bietet die nötigen Informationen, um sie zuverlässig zu bestimmen. Die Kapitel zu den einzelnen Arten geben Einblick in ihr sonst meist verborgenes Leben: Wie und wo leben die Tiere, was tun sie im Winter, wo können sie beobachtet werden, worauf sind sie angewiesen, wodurch sind sie gefährdet und – eine zentrale Frage – was können wir tun, um die Arten zu erhalten? Dabei skizzieren die Autoren Schutzmaßnahmen in der Landschaft, geben aber auch Tipps, wie im eigenen Garten die Lebensbedingungen für heimische Amphibien und Reptilien verbessert werden können. Sie stellen laufende Schutzprojekte vor und zeigen, dass es sich lohnt, mit Schlangen und Kröten zu leben.

Since amphibian declines were first proposed as a global phenomenon over a quarter century ago, the conservation community has made little progress in halting or reversing these trends. The early search for a “smoking gun” was replaced with the expectation that declines are caused by multiple drivers. While field observations and experiments have identified factors leading to increased local extinction risk, evidence for effects of these drivers is lacking at large spatial scales. Here, we use observations of 389 time-series of 83 species and complexes from 61 study areas across North America to test the effects of 4 of the major hypothesized drivers of declines. While we find that local amphibian populations are being lost from metapopulations at an average rate of 3.79% per year, these declines are not related to any particular threat at the continental scale; likewise the effect of each stressor is variable at regional scales. This result - that exposure to threats varies spatially, and populations vary in their response - provides little generality in the development of conservation strategies. Greater emphasis on local solutions to this globally shared phenomenon is needed.