Has strategic planning made a difference to amphibian conservation research in South Africa?

Abstract

Background: Conservation relies on the strategic use of resources because monies for conservation action are limited, especially in developing countries. South Africa’s Frog Atlas project established a baseline for the country’s amphibian data and threat levels in 2004, and in 2009 a prioritisation exercise developed a strategy for conservation research.Objectives: In this article, we assess this strategy for conservation research.Method: We conducted a quantitative and qualitative assessment of research undertaken since the strategy was developed.Results: The strategy has produced a lasting impact on taxonomy, ecological studies, monitoring and capacity building. Publications in all areas have increased, but particularly in conservation ecology. Other indicators are increases in the numbers of locality records for target taxa, species descriptions and postgraduate degrees with amphibians as the principal topic. We document important milestones for South African amphibian conservation, including the first Biodiversity Management Plan for Species (BMP-S) for Hyperolius pickersgilli, a smart device app that uploads locality data to an open access database, 15 years of monitoring data and new amphibian identification books for adults and children. The Red List Index calculated for South African amphibians shows that the country’s species are becoming more threatened (a 1% reduction in 10 years), but a hindcasting exercise suggests that most of the damage was already done by 1990. We provide a checklist for 131 amphibian species in South Africa, of which 82 species are endemic.Conclusion: A strategy for conservation research was found to greatly augment the focus of research on South African frogs. A new strategy should focus on fewer taxa over meaningful time spans.

The South African National Red List of spiders: patterns, threats, and conservation

“…Relative to other South African taxa that have been assessed, e.g., amphibians, for which 131 species are known and 23% have some threat status (Measey et al 2019), a considerably smaller proportion of spiders have some threat status (3.6%) and a large number of species are of least concern (63%). However, hotspots (areas with high levels of endemism and experiencing exceptional habitat loss (Myers et al (2000)) are evident from this analysis.…”

Population estimation of a cryptic moss frog using acoustic spatially explicit capture recapture

“…The entire population of A. rugosa occurs within a 230 ha area, and has previously been estimated as 400 adults, although this is expected to be in decline due to the ongoing plant invasion of Pinus pinaster and Hakea sericea (Turner & Channing 2008; SA-FRoG & IUCN 2017). A fire in January 2012 burnt the entire mountain (Measey et al 2019; Turner 2012), with the following aural acoustic survey suggesting the A. rugosa population was heavily impacted with only a few tens of individuals calling in two areas of the eastern portion of the distribution (17 May 2012; AAT & JM pers. obs.).…”

“…Many of the amphibian species within South Africa are poorly studied, and their population responses to these threats remain poorly understood (Measey 2011; Measey et al 2019). Arthroleptella rugosa , a Critically Endangered moss frog (IUCN & SA-FRoG 2017), is restricted to a single mountain in the off-reserve matrix of the Western Cape.…”

Assessing water conditions for Heleophryne rosei tadpoles and the conservation relevance

“…CapeNature, the nature conservation authority for the Western Cape Province, monitors H. rosei tadpole populations within the Table Mountain National Park and Kirstenbosch National Botanical Garden estate at the end of the southern summer (ed. Measey 2011;Measey et al 2019), before the wet season. This allows for the greatest tadpole visibility during the lowest flow.…”