Threatened by Legislative Conservationism? The Case of the Critically Endangered Aeolian Lizard

Gippoliti, Spartaco; Capula, Massimo; Ficetola, Gentile Francesco; Salvi, Daniele; Andreone, Franco

doi:10.3389/fevo.2017.00130

Cited by 14 publications

(11 citation statements)

References 16 publications

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“…The species is critically endangered and is undergoing a quick decline; the most likely factors determining lizard decline are the competition/hybridisation with non-native lizards, and habitat modifications. Currently, only four populations of this species are known to persist 56 , 57 . During spring 2017 (end of April-beginning of May) we carried out field surveys in the Capo Grosso Peninsula (approx.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

N-mixture models reliably estimate the abundance of small vertebrates

Ficetola

Barzaghi

Melotto

et al. 2018

Sci Rep

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Accurate measures of species abundance are essential to identify conservation strategies. N-mixture models are increasingly used to estimate abundance on the basis of species counts. In this study we tested whether abundance estimates obtained using N-mixture models provide consistent results with more traditional approaches requiring capture (capture-mark recapture and removal sampling). We focused on endemic, threatened species of amphibians and reptiles in Italy, for which accurate abundance data are needed for conservation assessments: the Lanza’s Alpine salamander Salamandra lanzai, the Ambrosi’s cave salamander Hydromantes ambrosii and the Aeolian wall lizard Podarcis raffonei. In visual counts, detection probability was variable among species, ranging between 0.14 (Alpine salamanders) and 0.60 (cave salamanders). For all the species, abundance estimates obtained using N-mixture models showed limited differences with the ones obtained through capture-mark-recapture or removal sampling. The match was particularly accurate for cave salamanders in sites with limited abundance and for lizards, nevertheless non-incorporating heterogeneity of detection probability increased bias. N-mixture models provide reliable abundance estimates that are comparable with the ones of more traditional approaches, and offer additional advantages such as a smaller sampling effort and no need of manipulating individuals, which in turn reduces the risk of harming animals and spreading diseases.

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Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

N-mixture models reliably estimate the abundance of small vertebrates

Ficetola

Barzaghi

Melotto

et al. 2018

Sci Rep

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“…The Aeolian wall lizard Podarcis raffonei is closely related to the Sicilian wall lizard P. waglerianus [37,38] from which it has been separated on the basis of genetic divergence and separate ranges [39]. Podarcis raffonei is currently reported from only four localities within the Aeolian islands: three tiny islets (La Canna, Scoglio Faraglione and Strombolicchio), and the Capo Grosso peninsula of the Vulcano island [Fig 1, Table 1; [16][17][18]28]. Podarcis raffonei is a medium-sized lizard, with a brown or dark-brown dorsal coloration.…”

Section: Study Speciesmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Among the European vertebrates, the Aeolian wall lizard Podarcis raffonei (Mertens, 1952) is among the species with the smallest geographic distribution [15], and one of the most threatened by extinction [16]. This lizard is endemic of the Aeolian Archipelago in Southern Italy; currently, it is only reported from three tiny islets, and from a small peninsula of the Vulcano island [see methods, Fig 1 and Table 1; [16][17][18]. None of these areas is easily accessible.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Status of the largest extant population of the critically endangered Aeolian lizard Podarcis raffonei (Capo Grosso, Vulcano island)

et al. 2021

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The Aeolian wall lizard Podarcis raffonei is an island endemic that survives only on three tiny islets, and on the Capo Grosso peninsula of the Vulcano island, thus is among the European vertebrates with the smallest range and one of the most threatened by extinction. This species is declining due to competition and hybridization with the non-native lizard Podarcis siculus, but a regular monitoring program is lacking. Here we assessed the size and status of the Capo Grosso population of P. raffonei on Vulcano. In September 2015 we captured 30 individuals showing the typical brown phenotype of P. raffonei, while one single male showed a green phenotype, apparently intermediate between P. raffonei and the non-native Podarcis siculus. In May 2017, only 47% of 131 individuals showed the typical brown phenotype (P. raffonei-like) and 53% showed the green phenotype (P. siculus-like). Based on N-mixture models and removal sampling the estimated size of the Capo Grosso population was of 800–1300 individuals in 2017, being similar to 2015; available data suggest that the total range of the species could be as small as 2 ha. The frequency of individuals with the typical P. raffonei phenotype dramatically dropped between two samplings with a parallel increase of individuals displaying the green phenotype. Observation on outdoor captive-bred individuals demonstrates plasticity for colouration in P. raffonei individuals from Capo Grosso, with several individuals showing the typical brown pattern in September 2017 and a green pattern in March 2021. Non-exclusive hypotheses, including hybridization with P. siculus and plasticity in colour pattern of P. raffonei, are discussed to explain the phenotypic shifts of the P. raffonei population of Capo Grosso. While genomic evidence is required to reach conclusions and investigate eventual hybridization, it is urgent to undertake a programme for the monitoring and management of this lizard.

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“…Although we may detect areas of apparent intergradations between clearly different "forms" (for the African buffalo, see [76,77]), there are few doubts about the existence of a long and complicated history of adaptation, separation, retraction, and advancement of geographic ranges of different taxa following climate changes, which must be summarized by a not so simple taxonomy, as is often requested by some stakeholders and researchers [78,79]. Finally, complex taxonomies are also difficult to translate into national and international legislations; yet, this is vital for effective conservation policy to maintain current levels of biodiversity [80].…”

Section: Speciesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Taxonomy and Translocations of African Mammals: A Plea for a Cautionary Approach

Gippoliti¹,

Robovský

Angelici³

2021

Conservation

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Ecotourism can fuel an important source of financial income for African countries and can therefore help biodiversity policies in the continent. Translocations can be a powerful tool to spread economic benefits among countries and communities; yet, to be positive for biodiversity conservation, they require a basic knowledge of conservation units through appropriate taxonomic research. This is not always the case, as taxonomy was considered an outdated discipline for almost a century, and some plurality in taxonomic approaches is incorrectly considered as a disadvantage for conservation work. As an example, diversity of the genus Giraffa and its recent taxonomic history illustrate the importance of such knowledge for a sound conservation policy that includes translocations. We argue that a fine-grained conservation perspective that prioritizes all remaining populations along the Nile Basin is needed. Translocations are important tools for giraffe diversity conservation, but more discussion is needed, especially for moving new giraffes to regions where the autochthonous taxa/populations are no longer existent. As the current discussion about the giraffe taxonomy is too focused on the number of giraffe species, we argue that the plurality of taxonomic and conservation approaches might be beneficial, i.e., for defining the number of units requiring separate management using a (majority) consensus across different concepts (e.g., MU—management unit, ESU—evolutionary significant unit, and ECU—elemental conservation unit). The taxonomically sensitive translocation policy/strategy would be important for the preservation of current diversity, while also supporting the ecological restoration of some regions within rewilding. A summary table of the main translocation operations of African mammals that have underlying problems is included. Therefore, we call for increased attention toward the taxonomy of African mammals not only as the basis for sound conservation but also as a further opportunity to enlarge the geographic scope of ecotourism in Africa.

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Threatened by Legislative Conservationism? The Case of the Critically Endangered Aeolian Lizard

Cited by 14 publications

References 16 publications

N-mixture models reliably estimate the abundance of small vertebrates

N-mixture models reliably estimate the abundance of small vertebrates

Status of the largest extant population of the critically endangered Aeolian lizard Podarcis raffonei (Capo Grosso, Vulcano island)

Taxonomy and Translocations of African Mammals: A Plea for a Cautionary Approach

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