Assessing the status of amphibian breeding sites in Italy: a national survey

The ecological status of 203 amphibian aquatic breeding sites, selected from the national database of the Societas Herpetologica Italica (SHI), was surveyed in the period 2008-2009 to assess their ecological status. Sites were randomly extracted, after stratification by the three biogeographical regions present in Italy, besides Sardinia and Sicily. The field surveys, conducted by professionals, amateurs and volunteers, showed that since 1979 about 11% of the sites were destroyed or no more suitable for the reproduction of amphibians that bred in the same site in the past. The percentage of destroyed or altered sites was 8%, both in the Mediterranean and Alpine biogeographical regions, and 15% in the Continental one. However, there were no statistical significant differences among the regions, suggesting that the rate of amphibian site loss was similar in different parts of Italy. This nation-wide monitoring project demonstrated that in Italy, during the last thirty years, a relevant proportion of amphibian breeding habitats has been destroyed or altered. The main cause of site alteration were land reclamation and water extraction.