Biodiversity management plan for the western leopard toad amietophrynus pantherinus

1. Also a major source of mortality for Golden Moles which are also threatened.

1. Annual School competitions to focus on various aspects of toad ecology, but primarily on ecofriendly schools and homes.

2. Toad-friendly status: a label open to anyone who applies: must have a resident Western Leopard Toad, photographs of toad(s), register of sightings with at least 3 sightings, low-pesticide gardens, some indigenous plants, some water-wise plants, at least one Red List plant species, at least 20% of plot area under garden (not paved or house or pool), pool ladders, border plants along at least 5m of wall, at least 50% of perimeter barriers toad friendly; all cats with bird-bells (if applicable); and should also (not compulsory) have a compost heap, recycle waste and belong to a wildlife club (i.e. member of Botanical Society, Cape Bird Club, Friends of …, Hack group, Ikapa Honorary Rangers, Wildlife Society, etc.). Awards presented with certificate and decal (choice of brass toad door knocker, toad-“gnome” or toad brass ornamentation, with “Toad-friendly garden year”), and valid for 5 years.

3. Jack Russel dogs appear to be particularly susceptible to being killed by toads – most other breeds do not persist in attacking toads after tasting them.

1. It is not clear what exactly is required in terms of techniques: the following guidelines seem appropriate:

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  Where possible canals and areas to be dredged or cleared should be done in blocks that are alternated between years, or patches of channels left partially uncleared – the entire area or reach should not be totally cleared every year.
  
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  It is not clear if manual clearing would be any better than mechanical clearing: this should perhaps be investigated;
  
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  Where on site decisions about methods and extent are required an environmental officer should be on site at all times.
  

3. Where possible canals and stormwater channels should be designed with as gently-sloping an edge as possible.

4. Water hyacinth is particularly a problem at Fish Hoek-Clovelly.
Threat 12. Electric Fences

Desired Objective: Electric fences are fatal to toads that get stuck under them. The height of the lower fence should be at least 100mm high, to allow toads in amplexis thoroughfare. Toads killed in amplexis are a particularly high loss, not only of a mating pair, but also of a gravid female full of eggs. Alternatively, the lowest wire in the electric fence could be raised during the period when the adult toads are moving to and from the breeding sites. This should apply to all electrical fences within 1km of known Breeding sites or blackspots.

Actions Needed:

Action	Rank	Parties	Time Frame	Resources	Impacts	Incentives	Indicators
Survey electric fences within 1km of Breeding sites or blackspots	1	Lead: SANBI Implementation: Volunteers	Initiation: January 2009 Duration: 6 months Completion: June 2009	Volunteers; List of blackspots	Positive: Awareness Negative:	Publicity; Involvement	Number of blackspots and Breeding sites surveyed.
Electric fences to be at least 100mm above ground (perhaps only during the breeding season)	2	Lead: CoCT:BMB Implementation: CoCT:BMB Volunteers	Initiation: January 2010 Duration: 3 years Completion: June 2012	Volunteers: CoCT extension officers	Positive: Awareness; Lower mortality Negative: Percieved interference; Reduced efficiency of electrical fences	Rebates?; Publicity; Public pressure; Status	Proportion of electrical fences toad compliant at each Breeding site

Inappropriate actions: Currently most electrical fences are high enough not to kill individual toads, and only toads in amplexis are really affected. Lowering of the lowermost electrical strands should not be entertained or allowed: this affects not only toads, but also tortoises, snakes and other wildlife.
Threat 14. Lack of Knowledge

Desired Objective: Several key aspects of the biology of the Western Leopard Toad are unknown.

Firstly how far east does it extend and how different are these to the Cape Flats subpopulations. are the different Breeding sites. It is vital to know if the different Breeding sites on the Cape Flats comprise a single metapopulation or are discrete subpopulations with little genetic interchange.

However, it is more urgent to determine how long toads live for, how far they move from their Breeding sites and what determines when the breeding season occurs and when toadlets leave the pools. However, most of these questions require long-term data sets, so whereas obtaining answers may require more than a decade of data, they must be initiated immediately.

Actions Needed:

Question	Rank	Parties	Methodology	Resources and Time Frame
What is the status of the eastern populations off the Cape Flats?	1	SANBI: Cape Nature		R10 000 per year till 2012
How far do toads move from breeding sites?	2	SANBI	Photographs of frogs at Breeding sites and in suburban gardens can be posted on the SANBI web site for statistical matching. Although very low rates of return are anticipated, sufficient data to determine mean and maximum movement should be forthcoming after a few years. A few frogs can be radiotracked at R1500 per frog. To be effective at least 20 frogs will have to be tracked, but this could be reported on the web and frogs could be “sponsored”	R50 000 per year till 2012 R30 000 per year
How long do toads live for and when do they start breeding?	3	SANBI	Volunteers can submit photographs and keep track of their toads. At least 10 years of data will be required for a definitive answer. Toad fingers can be excised and bone rings counted. This will require massive sampling (> 150 toads) of at least 20 Breeding sites at R50 per sample over two years.	R10 000 per year till 2018 Analysis till 2009 R300 000 Salaries till 2009 R200 000
What are the determinants of breeding activity? Can weather be used to predict migrations?	4	SANBI	At least 10 years of monitoring by volunteers will be required before a definitive answer can be achieved. Tentative conclusions can be drawn before then depending on how determinate the mechanism is.	R15 000 per year till 2018
What is the genetic relationship between the various Breeding sites?	5	SANBI	DNA from squashed toads can be used to determine genetic relationships between Breeding sites. Sampling is no problem, but each analysis costs R75. At least 20 specimens from each of the 20 major breeding sites and odd specimens beyond will be required. Setting up the reference library will cost R110 000.	Setting up: R110 000 till 2008 Analysis: R40 000 Salaries: till 2009 R200 000
What are the population sizes associated with the breeding sites and what proportion of toads mate each year	6	SANBI	Marc recapture; Photography of toads; Counts of calling, mating and migrating toads;	R100 000 per year to be sampled – to be repeated ad hoc, but initially for 5 years
Is the caecal parasite associated with the Western Leopard Toad extant?	7	SANBI	Gut samples from squashed toads can be extracted to look for the protozoan.	R10 000 per year till 2010
Are exotic fish, such as Carp, predators on eggs and tadpoles?	8	Cape Nature and CoCT: BMB	Catch fish and look at gut contents; Compare tadpole populations in fish-free and infested waters	R10 000 for one year
What is the diet of the Western Leopard Toad	9	SANBI?	Stomach contents analysis from road killed specimens.	R10 000 for one year
Does mowing during the breeding season kill toads around breeding pools?	10	SANBI	Survey of areas mowed during breeding season for killed specimens	R10 000 for one year

Inappropriate actions:

1, Assume that subpopulations can tolerate genetic mixing.

1. Photographs submitted by amateurs to be high quality, with scale, top down, in focus. In gardens, each toad to be submitted only once per year. On roads: every possible toad to be photographed, including flattened specimens.

2. It is assumed that SANBI will employ at least one postdoc Western Leopard Toad researcher for 5 years. Moneys for further students to be obtained via the research network.
There is also a need to summarize what is known in a palatable form and distribute it via websites, videos, CDs, DVDs and pamplets to various interest groups and volunteers for dissemination. This includes the data submitted during volunteer activities such as toad rescues, counts, road mortality, volunteers active and null data leading up to and after migrations.

Actions Needed:

Action	Rank	Parties	Time Frame	Resources	Impacts	Incentives	Indicators
An interactive Web site for submitting and viewing data	1	Lead: SANBI Implementation: SANBI	Initiation: January 2008 Duration: 1 years Completion: Online by June 2008	SANBI already has SIBIS to summarize data; Interactive data input and virtual museum needed	Positive: Public awareness; Negative: Costs for server; Staffing	Feedback for research; Is SANBI mandate; Public Pressure	Website up to date; Turnaround time from submission to presentation; Feedback to and from submitters
Home Page for the Western Leopard Toad with fact sheets and information brochures online	2	Lead: SANBI Implementation: SANBI	Initiation: Already exists Duration: Annual Completion: Ongoing	Needs to be linked to other sites; Local groups encouraged to publish information and link to site; Fact sheets and reports; Volunteers to provide content; Scientists to vet and approve content	Positive: Public awareness; Negative: Staffing	Feedback for research; Is SANBI mandate; Public Pressure	Website up to date; Pages of useable content;
A publicity campaign for launching the Leopard Toad Action Plan	3	Lead: SANBI Implementation: Private media company	Initiation: January 2008 Duration: 9 months Completion: October 2008	Media and publicity resources to be pools; Volunteers	Positive: Public awareness; Negative: Cost	Major initiation; Public awareness; Public buyin	Number of volunteers; Number of media slots requested and published as a result of campaign

Inappropriate actions: Set up an incomplete and inadequate web site.

1. Measures should be made via local coordinators for people without computer facilities. Local coordinators should regularly submit such information.