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What Works in Conservation 2020 What Works in Conservation 2020 EDITED BY WILLIAM J. SUTHERLAND, LYNN V. DICKS, SILVIU O. PETROVAN AND REBECCA K. SMITH To access digital resources including: blog posts videos online appendices and to purchase copies of this book in: hardback paperback ebook editions Go to: htps://www.openbookpublishers.com/product/1096 Open Book Publishers is a non-proft independent initiative. We rely on sales and donations to continue publishing high-quality academic works. WHAT WORKS IN CONSERVATION What Works in Conservation 2020 Edited by William J. Sutherland, Lynn V. Dicks, Silviu O. Petrovan and Rebecca K. Smith http://www.openbookpublishers.com © 2020 William J. Sutherland This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International license (CC BY 4.0). This license allows you to share, copy, distribute and transmit the work; to adapt the work and to make commercial use of the work providing attribution is made to the authors (but not in any way that suggests that they endorse you or your use of the work). Attribution should include the following information: Sutherland, W.J., Dicks, L.V., Petrovan, S.O., and Smith, R.K. What Works in Conservation 2020. Cambridge, UK: Open Book Publishers, 2020. https://doi.org/10.11647/OBP.0191 In order to access detailed and updated information on the license, please visit https://www.openbookpublishers.com/product/1096#copyright Further details about CC BY licenses are available at http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ All links were active at the time of publication unless otherwise stated. Digital material and resources associated with this volume are available at https://www.openbookpublishers.com/product/1096#resources and http://www.conservationevidence.com What Works in Conservation Series | ISSN: 2059-4232 (Print); 2059-4240 (Online) ISBN Paperback: 978-1-78374-833-4 ISBN Hardback: 978-1-78374-834-1 ISBN Digital (PDF): 978-1-78374-835-8 ISBN Digital ebook (epub): 978-1-78374-836-5 ISBN Digital ebook (mobi): 978-1-78374-837-2 ISBN Digital (XML): 978-1-78374-838-9 DOI: 10.11647/OBP.0191 Funded by Arcadia, DEFRA, ESRC, MAVA Foundation, NERC, Natural England, Robert Bosch Stiftung, Synchronicity Earth, South West Water and Waitrose Ltd. Cover image: A close up shot of the underside of a Dwarf Cavendish (Musa acuminata) by Ben Clough, CC BY-SA 3.0. Wikimedia http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Dwarf_ cavendish_leaf_2.jpg. Cover design: Heidi Coburn Contents Introduction 1 Who is What Works in Conservation for? 1 The Conservation Evidence project 1 Which conservation interventions are included? 2 How we review the literature 3 What does What Works in Conservation include? 4 Expert assessment of the evidence 4 Categorization of interventions 6 How to use What Works in Conservation 6 1. AMPHIBIAN CONSERVATION 9 1.1 Threat: Residential and commercial development 11 Legal protection of species 11 Protect brownfield or ex-industrial sites 12 Restrict herbicide, fungicide and pesticide use on and around ponds on golf courses 12 1.2 Threat: Agriculture 13 1.2.1 Engage farmers and other volunteers 13 Engage landowners and other volunteers to manage land for amphibians 13 Pay farmers to cover the costs of conservation measures 14 1.2.2 Terrestrial habitat management 14 Manage silviculture practices in plantations 14 Manage cutting regime 14 Manage grazing regime 15 Maintain or restore hedges 15 Plant new hedges 15 Reduced tillage 15 1.2.3 Aquatic habitat management 15 Manage ditches 15 Exclude domestic animals or wild hogs from ponds by fencing 16 1.3 Threat: Energy production and mining 17 Artificially mist habitat to keep it damp 17 1.4 Threat: Transportation and service corridors 18 Close roads during seasonal amphibian migration 18 Modify gully pots and kerbs 19 Install barrier fencing along roads 19 Install culverts or tunnels as road crossings 19 Use signage to warn motorists 20 Use humans to assist migrating amphibians across roads 20 1.5 Threat: Biological resource use 21 1.5.1 Hunting and collecting terrestrial animals 21 Reduce impact of amphibian trade 21 Use legislative regulation to protect wild populations 22 Commercially breed amphibians for the pet trade 22 Use amphibians sustainably 22 1.5.2 Logging and wood harvesting 22 Retain riparian buffer strips during timber harvest 23 Use shelterwood harvesting instead of clearcutting 23 Leave coarse woody debris in forests 23 Use patch retention harvesting instead of clearcutting 24 Leave standing deadwood/snags in forests 24 Use leave-tree harvesting instead of clearcutting 24 Harvest groups of trees instead of clearcutting 25 Thin trees within forests 25 1.6 Threat: Human intrusions and disturbance 26 Use signs and access restrictions to reduce disturbance 26 1.7 Threat: Natural system modifications 27 Regulate water levels 27 Mechanically remove mid-storey or ground vegetation 28 Use herbicides to control mid-storey or ground vegetation 28 Use prescribed fire or modifications to burning regime (forests) 28 Use prescribed fire or modifications to burning regime (grassland) 29 1.8 Threat: Invasive and other problematic species 30 1.8.1 Reduce predation by other species 30 Remove or control fish by drying out ponds 30 Remove or control fish population by catching 31 Remove or control invasive bullfrogs 31 Remove or control invasive viperine snake 31 Remove or control mammals 31 Remove or control fish using Rotenone 32 Exclude fish with barriers 32 Encourage aquatic plant growth as refuge against fish predation 32 Remove or control non-native crayfish 32 1.8.2 Reduce competition with other species 32 Reduce competition from native amphibians 33 Remove or control invasive Cuban tree frogs 33 Remove or control invasive cane toads 33 1.8.3 Reduce adverse habitat alteration by other species 33 Control invasive plants 33 Prevent heavy usage/exclude wildfowl from aquatic habitat 34 1.8.4 Reduce parasitism and disease – chytridiomycosis 34 Use temperature treatment to reduce infection 35 Use antifungal treatment to reduce infection 35 Add salt to ponds 35 Immunize amphibians against infection 36 Remove the chytrid fungus from ponds 36 Sterilize equipment when moving between amphibian sites 36 Treating amphibians in the wild or pre-release 36 Use gloves to handle amphibians 36 Use antibacterial treatment to reduce infection 37 Use antifungal skin bacteria or peptides to reduce infection 37 Use zooplankton to remove zoospores 37 1.8.5 Reduce parasitism and disease – ranaviruses 38 Sterilize equipment to prevent ranaviruses 38 1.9 Threat: Pollution 39 1.9.1 Agricultural pollution 39 Create walls or barriers to exclude pollutants 39 Plant riparian buffer strips 39 Reduce pesticide, herbicide or fertilizer use 40 Prevent pollution from agricultural lands or sewage treatment facilities entering watercourses 40 1.9.2 Industrial pollution 40 Add limestone to water bodies to reduce acidification 40 Augment ponds with ground water to reduce acidification 41 1.10 Threat: Climate change and severe weather 42 Deepen ponds to prevent desiccation 43 Use irrigation systems for amphibian sites 43 Artificially shade ponds to prevent desiccation 43 Protect habitat along elevational gradients 43 Provide shelter habitat 43 1.11 Habitat protection 44 Retain buffer zones around core habitat 44 Protect habitats for amphibians 45 Retain connectivity between habitat patches 45 1.12 Habitat restoration and creation 46 1.12.1 Terrestrial habitat 46 Replant vegetation 46 Clear vegetation 47 Create artificial hibernacula or aestivation sites 47 Create refuges 47 Restore habitat connectivity 48 Change mowing regime 48 Create habitat connectivity 48 1.12.2 Aquatic habitat 48 Create ponds (amphibians in general) 49 Create ponds (frogs) 50 Create ponds (natterjack toads) 50 Create ponds (salamanders including newts) 50 Create wetlands 50 Deepen, de-silt or re-profile ponds 51 Restore wetlands 51 Create ponds (great crested newts) 51 Create ponds (green toads) 52 Create ponds (toads) 52 Remove specific aquatic plants 52 Restore ponds 52 Remove tree canopy to reduce pond shading 53 Add nutrients to new ponds as larvae food source 53 Add specific plants to aquatic habitats 53 Add woody debris to ponds 53 Create refuge areas in aquatic habitats 53 1.13 Species management 54 1.13.1 Translocate amphibians 54 Translocate amphibians (amphibians in general) 54 Translocate amphibians (great crested newts) 55 Translocate amphibians (natterjack toads) 55 Translocate amphibians (salamanders including newts) 55 Translocate amphibians (toads) 56 Translocate amphibians (wood frogs) 56 Translocate amphibians (frogs) 56 1.13.2 Captive breeding, rearing and releases 57 Release captive-bred individuals (amphibians in general) 58 Release captive-bred individuals (frogs) 58 Breed amphibians in captivity (frogs) 58 Breed amphibians in captivity (harlequin toads) 59 Breed amphibians in captivity (Mallorcan midwife toad) 59 Breed amphibians in captivity (salamanders including newts) 59 Breed amphibians in captivity (toads) 59 Head-start amphibians for release 60 Release captive-bred individuals (Mallorcan midwife toad) 60 Release captive-bred individuals (toads) 60 Use artificial fertilization in captive breeding 61 Use hormone treatment to induce sperm and egg release 61 Release captive-bred individuals (salamanders including newts) 61 Freeze sperm or eggs for future use 62 Release captive-bred individuals (green and golden bell frogs) 62 1.14 Education and awareness raising 63 Engage volunteers to collect amphibian data (citizen science) 63 Provide education programmes about
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