Partners from Slovenia, Denmark and Germany have joined forces in a project to help protect amphibians and restore their habitats in six areas of Natura 2000 protected areas in the three countries.

The Life Amphicon project aims to boost the population of amphibians and their habitats, reduce amphibian road mortality, improve connectivity between the Natura 2000 areas and merge the know-how and experience of the three participating countries.

This is particularly important for the protection of the rare and endangered species of amphibians, which have small and isolated populations that are at risk of extinction or could lose their genetic diversity, says Katja Poboljšaj, who is in charge of the project.

Such populations are sensitive to changes in the environment as they are less resilient to various external factors because of their small size, she said at a recent presentation at the Kozjansko Regional Park in eastern Slovenia, one of the oldest and largest protected areas in the country.

Breeding stations for Italian crested newt

For the first time in Slovenia the project introduced the assisted breeding of the Italian crested newt in the Jovsi ob Sotli park, and the European fire-bellied toad in Denmark. Special breeding stations have been set up to ensure that the larvae can be successfully transformed so that they can strengthen the population in the area.

Such methods have been used successfully for decades in Denmark, Germany and Italy, but this is the first time they have been implemented in Slovenia.

In Kozjansko, amphibian support breeding has been carried out for the first time in Slovenia over the past three years, and the breeding station in Podsreda was also the first breeding station for Italian crested newt in Europe.

A total of 427 young Italian crested newts have been released into the wild, thus strengthening the small, isolated and therefore highly threatened population in Jovsi.

Restoration of sites

In four project areas - the Ljubljana Marshes, Radensko Polje, Jovsi and Bohor - 130 sites have been established and restored, and more than 45 hectares of grassland are properly maintained.

The mowing regime of wet meadows has been adjusted, fertilisation abandoned, bush and tree lines planted, woody overgrowth and non-native invasive plants removed, and certain areas handed over to local farmers for adapted use.

Efforts are under way to better connect the Natura 2000 areas with the habitats of amphibians, and reduce mortality of amphibians in five road sections in Ljubljana Marshes, Radensko Polje and Kozjansko Park.

She believes the project sets a new standard for the protection of endangered amphibian species in Slovenia, thus making an important contribution to the conservation of natural heritage and strengthening biodiversity in sensitive ecosystems.

A special website has been launched, providing an overview of the activities carried out in Slovenia in the field of amphibian and amphibian habitat conservation.

The project is co-financed by the EU Life Programme, the Slovenian government, the Municipality of Bistrica ob Sotli and project partners. Nine project partners from the three countries are involved in the project, which started in November 2019 and will run until the end of 2026.