Research project for the in-situ conservation of the sardinian brook salamander (euproctus platycephalus)
Research by the Rome Bioparco in collaboration with the Roma Tre University and the Department of Defence and the Environment of the Sardinia Region.
The Bioparco, in collaboration with the Roma Tre University and the Department of Defence and Environment of the Region Sardinia, has been coordinating, since 2009, a conservation project of the species. It includes activities ex situ and in situ with the long-term objective of having viable populations in those places where the species has weakened or even disappeared.
With this objective, a staff of researchers conducts regular field research while, at the Bioparco, a specific area has been set up dedicated to the reproduction and ex situ breeding of the Sardinian brook salamander, in which not only genetic studies are carried out but also studies on various aspects of biology of this species which is still little known.
In October 2019, 30 first generation individuals (15 males and 15 females) born between 2011 and 2013 were released into the wild at the Bioparco’s housing laboratories. In the next few years, the population will be followed through classic monitoring to assess the rooting of the “new” population. The monitoring will be carried out in part by the staff of the Bioparco, of the Roma Tre University and other local authorities.
