The monitoring and conservation of Near Eastern Fire Salamander populations in Haifa

Amphibians are undergoing population declines worldwide, with >41% of the species being globally threatened with extinction. The Near Eastern Fire Salamander (Salamandra infraimmaculata) is listed as endangered in Israel, mostly due to severe habitat loss, aquatic pollution and accidental roadkill. It inhabits a wide range of aquatic habitats in the Middle East, with Mount Carmel in Israel being the southern tip of its worldwide distribution range. The city of Haifa is located on Mount Carmel, with wadis constituting much of its urban nature, but are under little management and suffer from various threats, such as infrastructure development and pollution. Nevertheless, some of them may provide suitable habitat for amphibians. We conducted a survey of Near Eastern Fire Salamander adults in four locations inside Haifa, using a capture-recapture method based on recognition of individuals by dorsal spot patterns. We also collected physiological measurements and GPS locations of the adults and documented abiotic conditions. We investigated potential breeding sites and checked for presence of salamander larvae. The data were collected by conducting citizen science. We characterized two populations of the Near Eastern Fire Salamander in Haifa, one of which is potentially larger than some well-known populations in nature reserves. We also found two breeding sites containing salamander larvae in urban habitats. Based on these results, we initiated a salamander conservation project in Haifa, aiming to conserve the wadis as suitable habitats for amphibians, expand research on the salamander populations and involve decision makers and the public in urban nature conservation.