Abstract
Souss-Massa National Park (SMNP) is Morocco’s first coastal national park, created to preserve the high diversity of its continental and marine environments. Reptiles play an essential role in balancing SMNP ecosystems, yet little work has been done to study this fauna. The present work aims at providing the first reptile inventory of SMNP since its establishment in 1991. During the period 2019 to 2020, several field surveys were carried out at 30 sites using time-constrained visual encounter surveys (TCVES), with a total sampling effort of 300 person-hours. An inventory of 23 reptile species (including four endemic species) was obtained by combining TCVES results with additional data recorded during random encounters or provided by SMNP researchers. Based on TCVES data, both sampling effort and inventory completeness were evaluated by constructing sample-based accumulation curves and calculating non-parametric estimators (Chao 1, Chao 2, Jackknife 1 and Jackknife 2). These species richness estimators suggest that the current inventory is likely to be complete. Despite its small surface area, SMNP contains nearly 20% of all known Moroccan reptile species and constitutes an important biodiversity hotspot for reptiles in the Mediterranean Region. In terms of reptile conservation concern, five species in SMNP are classified as “vulnerable”, while two species are classified as “near threatened” on the IUCN Red List, underscoring the importance of protected areas for those species.
Highlights
The Mediterranean Basin is the world's second largest biodiversity hotspot (Mittermeier et al 2004)
In order to protect this high diversity of species and their habitats, the Moroccan Department of Water and Forests contributed to the creation of several terrestrial and marine protected areas, such as national parks, biosphere reserves, natural reserves and Sites of Biological and Ecological Interest (SBEI)
Based on time-constrained visual encounter surveys (TCVES) technique data, both sampling effort and inventory completeness were evaluated by constructing sample-based accumulation curves and calculating non-parametric estimators
Summary
The Mediterranean Basin is the world's second largest biodiversity hotspot (Mittermeier et al 2004). With the continued loss of biodiversity and habitat destruction occurring in the Mediterranean Region, several conservation strategies have been developed to maintain biodiversity and preserve natural habitats and ecosystem processes These strategies rely primarily on protected areas, which are defined as recognised geographical spaces created to support the long-term conservation of the environment and wildlife, as well as ecosystem services and cultural values. Morocco was ranked as the second richest country in term of biodiversity in the Mediterranean Basin after Turkey (MATEE 2009) This North African country has the richest and the most varied herpetofauna of the western Mediterranean and the Maghreb Region (de Pous et al 2010). This diverse fauna is characterised by a high rate of endemism and relict species.
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