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In connection with the Law of Ukraine “On Basic Principles (Strategy) of State Environmental Policy of Ukraine until 2020” (2010), that contains in particular Objective 5: “Stopping the loss of biological and landscape diversity” and provides for “creation till 2020 centers for artificial breeding and reacclimatization of rare species of plants and animals and those that are endangered… » it was proposed to start a set of measures on the possibility and lifelong study of the peculiarities of reproduction of yellow-bellied toads. According to Article 11 of the Law of Ukraine “On the Red Book of Ukraine”: “Protection of the Red Book of Ukraine is provided by … breeding them in specially created conditions (zoos, nurseries, botanical gardens, dendrological parks, etc.”). According to the studies undertaken in University of Uzhhorod (reported by F. Kurtyak (Kurtyak, 2004), the number and range of yellow-bellied toads have significantly decreased. GIS modeling has revealed computer models of B. variegata in Ukraine under modern climatic conditions and conditions of 2030, which showed reliable compliance with empirical data. Modern bioclimatic conditions are favorable for the species on 12.27% of Ukrainian territory; it is projected that the area of this territory will be reduced to 6.22%, using Maxent GIS-modelling based on one of the scenarios of climate change.
In order to obtain official permission from the Ministry of ecology and natural resources of Ukraine in March 2019, official a written request was sent to the relevant ministry. On April 12 the permission for the extraction of animals listed in the Red Book of Ukraine №5/4.1-15-02/3985-19 was obtained (fig. 1).
As a result of this pilot project 11 animals of the wild caught breeding stock as well as 11 captive bred individuals were released back into the nature in the place of parental stock collecting.
It is important to note that this work was only an example of the organization of the process of obtaining official permissions for collecting of wild caught livestock according to the current Ukrainian legislation. The work was not aimed at mass breeding of young animals to effectively strengthen existing populations, so small number of raised toadlets is not the evidence of fail of the work. The method of obtaining the necessary permits from the relevant ministry, the method of keeping and organizing the reproduction of these amphibians, as well as the algorithm for release into the wild were developed. Breeding of yellow-bellied toads in the laboratory, taking into account the above methods, can be a way to preserve some rare animals of the batrachofauna of Ukraine.
You can get acquainted with the results of the project using the following links:
https://museumkiev.org/upload/conf/herpetology_X_zbirnyk.pdf
https://dukonference.lv/files/2019_978-9984-14-890-8_DU%2061%20starpt%20zinatn%20konf%20tezes.pdf
Author of the cover photo: Yuri Kuzmin, I. I. Schmalhauzen Institute of Zoology, NAS of Ukraine.
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