Amphibian breeding sites module (WBS)

Amphibians are one of the most threatened groups of animals in Switzerland. Preserving their breeding sites is an essential part of amphibian conservation. 70 % of the indigenous amphibian species are now on the Red List of Endangered Swiss amphibians. The amphibian breeding sites module is coordinated by info fauna karch (the Swiss Amphibian and Reptile Coordination Centre) while local experts conduct field surveys. The WBS sub-sample comprises 258 amphibian breeding sites. These include 124 objects already examined for the 2005 Red List update as well as 18 additional objects, integrated after the inventory update of 2017. The sample encompasses all amphibian species and biogeographic regions of Switzerland. The national inventory distinguishes between fixed objects (ponds and other permanent wetlands) and ‘mobile’ objects (mainly gravel pits). The 258 objects of the WBS sample are composed of 218 fixed and 40 mobile objects. Low-elevation sites are surveyed four times and high-elevation sites twice between March and June. During the field surveys, all detected amphibian species are recorded. The data is stored at info fauna karch and enables the tracking of trends in amphibian populations nationwide and in each of the biogeographical regions. Cantons have access to the data via the virtual database VDC.

Additional Info

Field	Value
parent	Monitoring the Effectiveness of Habitat Conservation in Switzerland (WBS)