Abstract
Farm ponds are important habitats for amphibians, birds, and other wildlife. In Taiwan, artificial ponds were originally created on farmlands for irrigation purposes and the needs of the domestic water supply. Although pond creation is a typical farming practice, it also provides habitats for pond-breeding amphibians. Thus, it is essential to understand the current status of habitats and their vulnerability regarding urgent conservation needs for target species. Günther’s frog (Hylarana guentheri), a pond-breeding amphibian, has a high sensitivity towards surrounding environmental changes, and can be used as an indicator species to assess habitat suitability. The purpose of this study is to establish a systematic framework to assess the habitat suitability of pond-breeding amphibians by using Günther’s frog as a pilot-study species. First, we collected frog survey data from Chiayi, Taiwan, from winter 2013 to spring 2015, and investigated the present status of the environmental conditions around the ponds. Next, expert questionnaires and the fuzzy Delphi method were applied to establish the hierarchical evaluation criteria regarding the habitat suitability assessment. Four indicators: the aquatic environments of farm ponds; the terrestrial environments around ponds; landscape connectivity; and the conservation perceptions of the residents, were determined as first-layer factors in the assessment criteria, while ten other indicators were defined as second-layer factors. Based on the established assessment criteria, we performed in situ habitat suitability evaluations on 69 selected sites and surveyed the perceptions of the residents using questionnaires. Results revealed that 19% of locations were rich in frog species with a high habitat suitability. However, 67% of locations showed signs of habitat degradation, which may imply a higher need in practicing habitat improvement or restoration. The Kappa value was 0.6061, which indicated a high reliability of the habitat suitability assessment model. In brief, the proposed method can be applied, not only to assess the sustainability of frog habitats and degradation risks, but also to determine which locations may require future attention regarding conservation implementation. Furthermore, findings in this study provide useful background knowledge to all associated stakeholders when designing and implementing plans of wildlife habitat management and restoration at farm ponds.
Highlights
At present, 37.7% of the surface area of the world is covered by agricultural land [1]
216 Günther’s frogs were identified, with 84 frogs seen in the spring of 2014; 33 frogs were found in the summer of 2014; while one frog was observed in the fall of 2014
Results demonstrated that the aquatic environment of farm ponds was the most critical condition, followed by the residents’ conservation perception; the terrestrial environment around the pond; and landscape connectivity
Summary
37.7% of the surface area of the world is covered by agricultural land [1]. If managed in an environmentally friendly way, farm ponds and their surrounding lands can form a landscape with spatial heterogeneity and support a high level of biodiversity, including species rich plants [2]; birds [3]; and amphibian [4] communities. Human population growth, urbanization and industrialization have shifted the land use of agricultural landscapes, resulting in habitat loss and fragmentation; spatial homogenization; and a reduction in biodiversity [5,6]. Small-sized wetlands have been promoted as valuable habitats for water birds [8,9]. The recognition of the value of ponds for their biodiversity value has prompted calls toward conservation actions [6,10], wetland habitats are still impacted by human activities, such as induced land use change [6]. In the last two decades, more than five hundred farm ponds have disappeared
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