Publication details
Kuňka obecná (Bombina bombina) v České republice: 60 let populačních trendů a klíčových výzev
| Title in English | Fire-bellied toad (Bombina Bombina) in the Czech republic: 60 years of population trends and key challenges |
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| Year of publication | 2025 |
| Type | Conference abstract |
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| Description | The European fire-bellied toad (Bombina bombina) is a species of European conservation importance which, despite its protected status, faces significant environmental pressures. These include habitat fragmentation and loss, water pollution, and changes in hydrological regimes. The aim of this study was to evaluate population trends of the European fire-bellied toad in the Czech Republic based on data collected over the past sixty years from the Nature Conservation Species Occurrence Database. Analysis of long-term records reveals substantial regional differences in population dynamics. While some regions, such as the South Bohemian and South Moravian Regions, show positive trends in abundance, other areas exhibit rather stagnant populations. An important finding is the discrepancy between the occurrence of adult individuals and the reproductive success of the species across regions. Although adults are observed at many sites throughout the country, the presence of juvenile stages—indicating successful reproduction—has been recorded much less frequently. This suggests limited availability of suitable conditions for reproduction, particularly a shortage of high-quality wetland habitats necessary for larval development. At the national level, however, it is evident that populations of the European fire-bellied toad benefit from conservation objectives implemented within the European Natura 2000 network. Nevertheless, there are still localities where populations remain threatened due to inappropriate management and the absence of adequate conservation measures. The analysis confirms the importance of long-term monitoring and adaptive management in the protection of wetland habitats. In this context, the European fire-bellied toad serves not only as an indicator of ecological status but also as a model species for planning effective wetland conservation at the national level. The results provide valuable insights for nature conservation under changing environmental conditions and highlight the need to continue implementing targeted conservation measures. |
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