Future proofing the conservation of endangered amphibian species: bridging population recovery with habitat restoration, climate adaptation and policy integration

ongoing

Due to their extreme vulnerability and complex lifestyle, amphibians are considered “The canary in the coal mine” for environmental and climate change. Globally, over 40 % of amphibians are threatened with extinction, clearly demonstrating the crisis they are facing. In the EU, the main threats to amphibians include habitat degradation, habitat fragmentation, climate change, advancing invasive alien species (IAS) and, despite their familiarity, a low public awareness of their challenges, impact people have and how they can contribute to amphibian conservation. Their dependence on both suitable terrestrial and aquatic habitat worsens their predicament. The overall objective of the LIFE ToadAlly project is to improve the conservation status of four highly endangered toad species in the Belgian provinces of Limburg and Liege and beyond. The target species Midwife toad, Natterjack toad, Yellow-bellied toad and Common Spadefoot are specialist that depend on increasingly rare dynamic or pioneer habitat and require a broad approach and tailored measures. The approach we take in the LIFE ToadAlly project is unique in its comprehensiveness, as we will bridge population recovery, habitat restoration, population connectivity, climate adaptation, public and stakeholder mobilisation, and policy integration to yield maximum conservation results within the project perimeter, through collaborations and synergies with projects in NL and DE , in the cross-border three country region (BE-NL-DE) and beyond. We will restore over 100 ha of key terrestrial habitat, establish 145 shelters in the form of rockpiles or hedges, and restore or establish over 300 ponds, and reintroduce or restock at least 8 populations of target species. By recruiting over 100 local volunteers as local stewards and integrating project objectives in 3 species protection plans Flanders and 3 species action plans in Wallonia, we ensure a long-term after-LIFE impact of LIFE ToadAlly project.