Predicted impact of climate change on the distribution of the Critically Endangered golden mantella (Mantella aurantiaca) in Madagascar

The impact of climate change on Malagasy amphibians remains poorly understood. Equally, deforestation, fragmentation, and lack of connectivity between forest patches may leave vulnerable species isolated in habitat that no longer suits their environmental or biological requirements. We assess the predicted impact of climate change by 2085 on the potential distribution of a Critically Endangered frog species, the golden mantella (Mantella aurantiaca), that is confined to a small area of the central rainforest of Madagascar. We identify potential population distributions and climatically stable areas. Results suggest a potential south-eastwardly shift away from the current range and a decrease in suitable habitat from 2110 km2 under current climate to between 112 km2 – 138 km2 by the year 2085 – less than 7% of currently available suitable habitat. Results also indicate that the amount of golden mantella habitat falling within protected areas decreases by 86% over the same period. We recommend research to ascertain future viability and the feasibility of expanding protection to newly identified potential sites. This information can then be used in future conservation actions such as habitat restoration, translocations, re-introductions or the siting of further wildlife corridors or protected areas

Traditions, Tabous et Conservation de la Biodiversité dans le Complexe Bobaomby, Extrême Nord de Madagascar

Le respect des normes et des pratiques traditionnelles de la communauté locale est la clef de voûte dans la création d’une aire protégée. La présente étude a été menée dans le Complexe Bobaomby, extrême Nord de Madagascar, pour réconcilier, dès la création de la Nouvelle Aire Protégée, la conservation du site avec les valeurs socio-culturelles locales. Les objectifs spécifiques sont de (i) déployer les maximums d’informations concernant les sites sacrés, (ii) décrire les rites traditionnels ou « jôro » entretenus dans ces sites et (iii) caractériser les tabous ou ‘fady’ locaux afin de faire sortir l’implication de ces traditions et tabous pour la conservation, la cohésion sociale et le développement économique. Pour y arriver, des interviews semi-structurés ont été conduits auprès des ménages, des discussions ont été menées en groupe ou de manière informelle avec des personnes clés comme les anciens sages ou « Raiamandreny » originaires de la région Bobaomby, et des autorités locales entre le 1er février et le 20 avril 2018. Comme résultats, huit sites sacrés constituant des centres de pratiques traditionnelles ont été identifiés : Ambatomitongoa, Madiromasina, Madirokitamby (Antsahampano), Madirokitamby (Baie de Courrier), Doany-Be, Ambatosariaomby, Ambatonjanahary et Ampasimantoraka. Deux « jôro », l’un à Ambatomitongoa et l’autre à Madiromasina sont décrits et discutés dans cette étude. Quatorze tabous localement appelés « fady » et leurs significations traditionnelles ont été recensés à Bobaomby. À Bobaomby, les traditions locales et les règles coutumières sont les garants de la sauvegarde environnementale et de la cohésion sociale ; elles sont aussi la base du système économique local.   Respect for local traditions, norms, and practices is critical in the creation and success of a protected area. This study was conducted in the Bobaomby Complex, in north Madagascar, to reconcile, from the outset of the New Protected Area, the conservation of the site with local socio-cultural values. The specific objectives are to (i) collect and share as much information as possible concerning the sacred sites, (ii) describe the traditional rites or “jôro” maintained at these sites and (iii) characterize the local taboos or 'fady' in order to bring out the implication of these traditions and taboos for conservation, social cohesion and economic development. To achieve this, semi-structured interviews were conducted with households, and group and informal discussions were held with key persons such as the elders or “Raiamandreny” from the Bobaomby region, and local authorities between 1 February and 20 April 2018. As a result, eight sacred sites constituting centers of traditional practices were identified: Ambatomitongoa, Madiromasina, Madirokitamby (Antsahampano), Madirokitamby (Baie de Courrier), Doany-Be, Ambatosariaomby, Ambatonjanahary, and Ampasimantoraka. Two "jôro", one at Ambatomitongoa and the other at Madiromasina are described and discussed in this study. Fourteen taboos are locally called “fady” and their traditional meanings were identified in Bobaomby. In Bobaomby, local traditions and customary rules are the guarantors of environmental protection and social cohesion; they are also the basis of the local economic system

Traditions et Tabous dans le Complexe Bobaomby, Extrême Nord de Madagascar

Le respect des normes et des pratiques traditionnelles de la communauté locale est la clef de voûte dans la création d’une aire protégée. Dans l’extrême Nord de Madagascar, une aire protégée est actuellement en phase de création dans le Complexe Bobaomby, une zone riche en biodiversité et en divers sites sacrés. Les communautés locales du site sont composées des adeptes de la tradition et des cultes aux ancêtres. Au cours des entretiens avec des personnes ressources au sein des communautés et dirigeants des villages, huit sites sacrés constituant des centres de pratiques traditionnelles ont été identifiés dont Ambatomitongoa, Madiromasina, Madirokitamby (Antsahampano), Madirokitamby (Baie de Courrier), Doany-Be, Ambatosariaomby, Ambatonjanahary et Ampasimantoraka. Un rituel traditionnel appelé « joro » marque le commencement de toute investigation dans le territoire de Bobaomby dont la présente étude n’est pas épargnée. Deux « joro », l’un à Ambatomitongoa et l’autre à Madiromasina sont décrits et discutés dans cette étude. Quatorze tabous localement appelés « fady » et leurs significations traditionnelles ont été recensés à Bobaomby. À Bobaomby, les traditions locales et les règles coutumières sont les garants de la sauvegarde environnementale et de la cohésion sociale ; elles sont aussi la base du système économique local.   The respect of a local community’s traditional practices is a key success for the protected area creation. The process of creating a protected area in the Bobaomby Complex, a rich area in terms of biodiversity and sacred sites in northern Madagascar, is currently underway. At this site, the local communities are composed of followers of the traditional and ancestral worships. During interviews with communities and villages leaders, there are eight sacred sites that constitute the centres of traditional practices identified as Ambatomitongoa, Madiromasina, Madiromikitamby (Antsahampano), Madiromikitamby (Baie de Courrier), Doany-Be, Ambatosariaomby, Ambatonjanahary and Ampasimantoraka. A traditional rite called ‘joro’ has to be undertaken at the beginning of any investigations in the territory of Bobaomby. Two ceremonies of ‘joro’ in the sacred sites, respectively, Ambatomitongoa and Madiromasina were described and discussed in this study. Fourteen taboos known locally as ‘fady’ and their traditional meanings were recorded in Bobaomby. Apart from their environmental safeguard roles: taboos and traditions in Bobaomby generate a cohesion within the social groups, and they are also, locally, the key elements for the economic development

Microhabitat preference of the critically endangered golden mantella frog in Madagascar

The golden mantella (Mantella aurantiaca) is a critically endangered (CR) frog, endemic to the eastern rainforests of Madagascar. Although the species is very popular in the pet trade and widely bred in captivity, its specific habitat requirements in the wild are poorly understood. Ten forested sites in the Moramanga district of Madagascar were surveyed for microhabitat and environmental variables, and the presence or absence of golden mantellas in quadrats positioned along transects in the vicinity of breeding sites. Mixed models were used to determine which variables best explained microhabitat use by golden mantellas. Sites where golden mantellas were found tended to have surface temperatures of 2023 ˚C, UVI units at about 2.9, about 30 % canopy cover, and around 30 % herbaceous cover. Within sites, golden mantellas preferred microhabitats that had 70 % leaf litter coverage and relatively low numbers of tree roots. This information can be used to improve the identification and management of habitats in the wild, as well as to refine captive husbandry need

Wildlife supply chains in Madagascar from local collection to global export

International trade in wildlife is a complex multi-billion dollar industry. To supply it, many animals are extracted from the wild, sourced from biodiversity-rich, developing countries. Whilst the trade has far-reaching implications for wildlife protection, there is limited information regarding the socio-economic implications in supply countries. Consequently, a better understanding of the costs and benefits of wildlife supply chains, for both livelihoods and conservation, is required to enhance wildlife trade management and inform its regulation. Using Madagascar as a case study, we used value chain analysis to explore the operation of legal wildlife trade on a national scale; we estimate the number of actors involved, the scale, value and profit distribution along the chain, and explore management options. We find that the supply of wildlife provided economic benefits to a number of actors, from local collectors, to intermediaries, exporters and national authorities. CITES-listed reptiles and amphibians comprised a substantial proportion of the quantity and value of live animal exports with a total minimum export value of 230,795USD per year. Sales prices of reptiles and amphibians increased over 100-fold between local collectors and exporters, with exporters capturing ~92% of final export price (or 57% when their costs are deducted). However, exporters shouldered the largest costs and financial risks. Local collectors obtained ~1.4% of the final sales price, and opportunities for poverty alleviation and incentives for sustainable management from the trade appear to be limited. Promoting collective management of species harvests at the local level may enhance conservation and livelihood benefits. However, this approach requires consideration of property rights and land-tenure systems. The complex and informal nature of some wildlife supply chains make the design and implementation of policy instruments aimed at enhancing conservation and livelihoods challenging. Nevertheless, value chain analysis provides a mechanism by which management actions can be more precisely targeted

Testing a global standard for quantifying species recovery and assessing conservation impact.

Recognizing the imperative to evaluate species recovery and conservation impact, in 2012 the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) called for development of a "Green List of Species" (now the IUCN Green Status of Species). A draft Green Status framework for assessing species' progress toward recovery, published in 2018, proposed 2 separate but interlinked components: a standardized method (i.e., measurement against benchmarks of species' viability, functionality, and preimpact distribution) to determine current species recovery status (herein species recovery score) and application of that method to estimate past and potential future impacts of conservation based on 4 metrics (conservation legacy, conservation dependence, conservation gain, and recovery potential). We tested the framework with 181 species representing diverse taxa, life histories, biomes, and IUCN Red List categories (extinction risk). Based on the observed distribution of species' recovery scores, we propose the following species recovery categories: fully recovered, slightly depleted, moderately depleted, largely depleted, critically depleted, extinct in the wild, and indeterminate. Fifty-nine percent of tested species were considered largely or critically depleted. Although there was a negative relationship between extinction risk and species recovery score, variation was considerable. Some species in lower risk categories were assessed as farther from recovery than those at higher risk. This emphasizes that species recovery is conceptually different from extinction risk and reinforces the utility of the IUCN Green Status of Species to more fully understand species conservation status. Although extinction risk did not predict conservation legacy, conservation dependence, or conservation gain, it was positively correlated with recovery potential. Only 1.7% of tested species were categorized as zero across all 4 of these conservation impact metrics, indicating that conservation has, or will, play a role in improving or maintaining species status for the vast majority of these species. Based on our results, we devised an updated assessment framework that introduces the option of using a dynamic baseline to assess future impacts of conservation over the short term to avoid misleading results which were generated in a small number of cases, and redefines short term as 10 years to better align with conservation planning. These changes are reflected in the IUCN Green Status of Species Standard

Extinction Risks and the Conservation of Madagascar's Reptiles

<div><p>Background</p><p>An understanding of the conservation status of Madagascar's endemic reptile species is needed to underpin conservation planning and priority setting in this global biodiversity hotspot, and to complement existing information on the island's mammals, birds and amphibians. We report here on the first systematic assessment of the extinction risk of endemic and native non-marine Malagasy snakes, lizards, turtles and tortoises.</p><p>Methodology/Principal Findings</p><p>Species range maps from The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species were analysed to determine patterns in the distribution of threatened reptile species. These data, in addition to information on threats, were used to identify priority areas and actions for conservation. Thirty-nine percent of the data-sufficient Malagasy reptiles in our analyses are threatened with extinction. Areas in the north, west and south-east were identified as having more threatened species than expected and are therefore conservation priorities. Habitat degradation caused by wood harvesting and non-timber crops was the most pervasive threat. The direct removal of reptiles for international trade and human consumption threatened relatively few species, but were the primary threats for tortoises. Nine threatened reptile species are endemic to recently created protected areas.</p><p>Conclusions/Significance</p><p>With a few alarming exceptions, the threatened endemic reptiles of Madagascar occur within the national network of protected areas, including some taxa that are only found in new protected areas. Threats to these species, however, operate inside and outside protected area boundaries. This analysis has identified priority sites for reptile conservation and completes the conservation assessment of terrestrial vertebrates in Madagascar which will facilitate conservation planning, monitoring and wise-decision making. In sharp contrast with the amphibians, there is significant reptile diversity and regional endemism in the southern and western regions of Madagascar and this study highlights the importance of these arid regions to conserving the island's biodiversity.</p></div

Percentage of reptile species' range represented in all Madagascar Protected Areas by IUCN Red List Category.

<p>Dotted line indicates grand mean and black short lines indicate mean percentage of range protected in each IUCN Red List Category.</p

The 22 Critically Endangered species of Malagasy reptiles.

<p>The 22 Critically Endangered species of Malagasy reptiles.</p

Geographic distribution of the 11 species that are not represented in any protected area (i.e., gap species).

<p>Geographic distribution of the 11 species that are not represented in any protected area (i.e., gap species).</p