Endangerment and protection of amphibians in the republic of Croatia

Abstract

Vodozemci su razred unutar potkoljena kralješnjaka. Oni su prva skupina koja postupno prelazi s vodenog načina života na kopneni. Zbog svojih fizioloških i morfoloških osobina jedna su od najrasprostranjenijih, ali i najugroženijih skupina kralješnjaka. U ekosustavima imaju važnu ulogu te je stoga poželjno smanjiti postojeći trend opadanja brojnosti populacija prisutan kod većine vrsta. U ovom radu ukratko su opisane vrste ugroženih vodozemaca u Republici Hrvatskoj prema stupnju njihove ugroženosti definiranim od strane IUCN-a. Naglašeni su razlozi i čimbenici njihove ugroženosti, a kao glavni razlozi ističu se antropološka aktivnost i nemogućnost prilagodbe ove skupine na tako brze promjene u okolišu. Navedene su postojeće mjere zaštite u Republici Hrvatskoj te su uz kratku kritiku predložene mogućnosti poboljšanja situacije.Amphibians are a class within the Vertebrate subphylum. They are the first group that gradually transitions from an aquatic to a terrestrial way of life. Due to their physiological and morphological characteristics, they are known as one of the most widespread, although the most endangered group of vertebrates. They take an important part within various ecosystems, and for this reason it is important to lessen the existing trend of population decline present with most species. This paper provides a short overview of the endangered amphibian species found in Croatia, and it does so according to the degree of their endangerment, as defined by the IUCN. Various factors and reasons for their endagerment will be emphasized, while the anthropological activity and the inability of adaption to imminent changes in the environment are pointed out as the main issues. Finally, the paper includes a list of active protection measures in Croatia, which is followed by a short critique as well as a number of suggestions on potential improvement