Planning conservation actions requires detailed information on species’ geographic distribution. Species distribution data are most needed in areas hosting unique or endangered biodiversity. Italy is one of the European countries with the highest levels of herpetological diversity and endemism and is home to sev- eral threatened species of amphibians and reptiles. Information on the distribution of species’ habitats can help identify sites where the species is most likely to thrive, as viable populations depend on it. Area of Habitat (AOH) maps reveal the distribution of the habitat available to the species within their geographic range. We produced high resolution, freely accessible global area of habitat maps for 60 species of reptiles and amphibians distributed in Italy, which represent 60% of all Italian amphibian and reptile species. We validated a total of 44 AOH maps through a presence-only based evaluation method, with 86% of these maps showing a performance better than expected by chance. AOH maps can be used as a reference for conservation planning, as well as to investigate macroecological patterns of Italian herpetofauna. Further- more, AOH maps can help monitoring habitat loss, which is known to be a major threat to many reptile and amphibian species in Europe.

Maps of area of habitat for Italian amphibians and reptiles / Nania, Dario; LUMBIERRES CIVIT, Maria; Francesco Ficetola, Gentile; Falaschi, Mattia; Pacifici, Michela; Rondinini, Carlo. - In: NATURE CONSERVATION. - ISSN 1314-3301. - 49:(2022), pp. 117-129. [10.3897/natureconservation.49.82931]

Maps of area of habitat for Italian amphibians and reptiles

Dario Nania
;
Maria Lumbierres;Michela Pacifici;Carlo Rondinini
2022

Abstract

Planning conservation actions requires detailed information on species’ geographic distribution. Species distribution data are most needed in areas hosting unique or endangered biodiversity. Italy is one of the European countries with the highest levels of herpetological diversity and endemism and is home to sev- eral threatened species of amphibians and reptiles. Information on the distribution of species’ habitats can help identify sites where the species is most likely to thrive, as viable populations depend on it. Area of Habitat (AOH) maps reveal the distribution of the habitat available to the species within their geographic range. We produced high resolution, freely accessible global area of habitat maps for 60 species of reptiles and amphibians distributed in Italy, which represent 60% of all Italian amphibian and reptile species. We validated a total of 44 AOH maps through a presence-only based evaluation method, with 86% of these maps showing a performance better than expected by chance. AOH maps can be used as a reference for conservation planning, as well as to investigate macroecological patterns of Italian herpetofauna. Further- more, AOH maps can help monitoring habitat loss, which is known to be a major threat to many reptile and amphibian species in Europe.
2022
Area of occupancy, extent of habitat, herpetofauna, Italy, IUCN Red List
01 Pubblicazione su rivista::01a Articolo in rivista
Maps of area of habitat for Italian amphibians and reptiles / Nania, Dario; LUMBIERRES CIVIT, Maria; Francesco Ficetola, Gentile; Falaschi, Mattia; Pacifici, Michela; Rondinini, Carlo. - In: NATURE CONSERVATION. - ISSN 1314-3301. - 49:(2022), pp. 117-129. [10.3897/natureconservation.49.82931]
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Utilizza questo identificativo per citare o creare un link a questo documento: https://hdl.handle.net/11573/1664312
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