The situation does not look rosy for amphibians and reptiles in Germany: New Red Lists reveal that the populations of almost all native species have continued to decline. According to this, two thirds of all reptile species and every second amphibian species are endangered. They include such well-known species as the adder, but also the midwife toad and the yellow-bellied toad.
In Germany there are 21 species of amphibians and 14 species of reptiles. They include snakes such as grass snakes or adder, but also lizards, amphibians such as the fire salamander and various frogs and toads. Germany is a particularly important distribution area for nine of these amphibian species and seven reptile species, because a large part of their population lives with us. These species include the European tree frog, the western blindworm or the mountain newt.
The current red lists for both groups of animals published by the Federal Agency for Nature Conservation now show how reptiles and amphibians fare in this country. For the Red Lists, biologists determine the population of a group of animals with the help of hundreds of volunteer helpers using standardized criteria and methods. The data obtained in such a “census” give an overview of the populations and make it possible to assess the trends and the degree of their endangerment by comparison with previous surveys. Species classified as critically endangered, critically endangered, endangered or endangered to an unknown extent are considered to be threatened in their existence.
Biggest problem: loss of habitat
The new Red Lists for amphibians and reptiles paint a bad picture: In no other animal group is the proportion of endangered species as high as in these two groups. “For three-quarters of the amphibian species and more than two-thirds of the reptile species, further decreases have also been found in the past 20 years. As a result, their stock situation has worsened, ”reports Alfred Herberg from the Federal Agency for Nature Conservation. Overall, every second amphibian species and two thirds of the reptile species in Germany are considered endangered.
“The main cause of the alarming endangerment situation for amphibians and reptiles is the loss of their habitats and partial habitats. This includes breeding and spawning biotopes, structurally rich summer roosts and frost-proof wintering areas, ”explains Herberg. His colleague Ulrich Schulte adds: “In our increasingly monotonous and cleared landscape, amphibians and reptiles have an increasingly difficult time. Without profound changes in agriculture and forestry, we will only find a large part of the species in a few isolated protected areas in the future. We urgently need more nature-friendly agriculture and forestry. “
From midwife toad to pond turtle
One of the particularly endangered amphibian species is the midwife toad, which is known for its unique brood care behavior: the females pass the short spawning cords with the fertilized eggs to the males, who they carry around with them for several weeks. Only before the larvae hatch do the male toads deposit their cargo in the water. This toad species was already classified as endangered in the last Red List from 2009, since then its decline has accelerated again and it is now considered to be critically endangered. The main cause is the loss of their habitat, the natural floodplains in the mountains and hills. The populations of the tree frog, natterjack toad and yellow-bellied toad have also continued to decline.
Among the reptiles, adder and sand lizard are particularly endangered; their populations have continued to decline sharply since the last survey. In the case of these species, too, this is primarily due to the decline in their habitat – moors, heaths and grasslands. The dice snake, the European pond turtle and the eastern green lizard are classified as critically endangered. While the populations of the last two species have stabilized through targeted protective measures, the number of dice snakes that live primarily on river banks continues to decline. Some more common reptile species such as the fire salamander or the western slow worm have also continued to decline.
Source: Federal Agency for Nature Conservation, Red List Center; Red lists