Distribution and Important Areas for the Conservation of Amphibians in the Province of Seville, Spain: Identifying Priorities

Eduardo José Rodríguez-Rodríguez,Rafael Carmona-González

doi:10.3390/hydrobiology1010004

Abstract

Amphibians are among the most threatened vertebrates in the world due to habitat destruction, emerging diseases, and climate change, and therefore, it is of critical importance to identify the risk and conservation measures for their populations. In this work, we aimed to identify the status of amphibian distribution in the province of Seville, in the south of Spain. We additionally wanted to identify critical conservation areas and propose measures of conservation for the whole community as well as specific taxa. To do this, we mapped the distribution of amphibians using our own data and bibliography and translated it into a 10 × 10 km2 UTM grid. Our work has allowed us to identify several areas of importance for amphibians in the province and populations of some species that need special attention.

Highlights

Amphibians are among the most threatened vertebrates in the world due to habitat destruction [1], emerging diseases such as chytridiomicois or ranavirus [2], climate change [3], and pollution [4]
The aim of this work was to provide a detailed update of the distribution of amphibians The aim of this work was to provide a detailed update of the distribution of amin the province of Seville, including species richness patterns around the territory, with the phibians in the province of Seville, including species richness patterns around the terobjective of laying the foundation for the planning of present and future conservation
Book that Hyla molleri has been reported in some past sources, such as The Atlas and Red Book of of the Amphibians of Spain (Pleguezuelos al., 2002), no evidence the Amphibians of Spain (Pleguezuelos et al.,et2002), no evidence of this of this species wasinfound in the province despite an intensive in the suspected species was found the province despite an intensive search insearch the suspected historical historical areas

Summary

Introduction

Amphibians are among the most threatened vertebrates in the world due to habitat destruction [1], emerging diseases such as chytridiomicois or ranavirus [2], climate change [3], and pollution [4]. More than a third of global amphibian species are threatened and their genetic diversity loss is accelerating extinction [4] For this reason, the identification of conservation priorities regarding areas, species, and populations is crucial, even at a local scale. The first stage in this strategy is to provide comprehensive knowledge about the current distribution, allowing us to identify the mentioned conservation priorities. Necessary corrections and other conservation actions can be undertaken

Objectives

Results

Conclusion