Abstract
The alarming decline of amphibians in France: The documented example of Normandy. Amphibians are exposed to numerous pressures such as the disappearance and degradation of their terrestrial and aquatic habitats, the introduction of invasive species, diseases, and climate change, which lead to the disappearance or decline of populations. Many environmental assessments (e.g. European directives, red lists, etc.), or management practices in protected areas are based on the status of populations. In this context, a consortium (SHF, CPIE, ONF, RNF, CEFE) has developed protocols to assess trends in amphibian communities (or target species). Unlike the distribution atlas-type approaches already well developed in France, these new protocols (known as "POPAmphibien") are based on the site occupancy framework that model amphibian occurrence in aquatic sites, while correcting for the probability of species detection. This paper presents the results of the application of a POPAmphibien "community" protocol in Normandy, with the aim of describing the temporal trend of an amphibian community by carrying out three field surveys per year that considering the phenology of the different species. Between 2007 and 2018, 114 areas (sectors presenting several aquatic sites potentially colonised by amphibians) comprising 1255 aquatic sites were monitored using standardised methods. The trends for the 15 taxa monitored in Normandy show a decrease for nine of them (Alytes obstetricans, Bufo sp, Rana temporaria, Pelophylax kl. esculentus, Salamandra salamandra, Ichthyosaura alpestris, Triturus cristatus, Lissotriton helveticus and Lissotriton vulgaris), a stability for four species (Epidalea calamita, Pelophylax ridibundus, Hyla arborea and Triturus marmoratus) and an increase for two species (Rana dalmatina and Pelodytes punctatus). Habitat degradation, particularly in agricultural landscapes, and climate change (drying up of breeding sites) particularly affect species such as Salamandra salamandra and Rana temporaria. Management measures (over digging of ponds, protection of habitats) appear to be favourable to the populations of P. punctatus which are confined to dunes and coastal marshes under protection status. R. dalmatina is on the increase, particularly outside protected areas, probably due to its expansion northwards for at least fifteen yearsin connection with more favourable local climatic conditions and the presence of refuge micro-habitats. These are the first results obtained with this methodology, deployment on a national scale will enable increasing precise analyses of the factors influencing the dynamics of amphibian populations in France, including management practices.