In recent months, some of the possible effects of climate change have also been observed in the Foreste Casentinesi National Park: a devastating drought, fires, puddled lakes, large rivers flowing in their wholeness. In July, ISPRA (Institute for Higher Protection and Environmental Research) published the annual report on "CLIMA Indicators in Italy for 2016". The report explains that in addition to the annual average temperature increase (+ 1.35 ° C) over the average of recent years, 2016 fell by 6% precipitation. For 2017, due to the high droughts experienced during the summer, there is a further worsening of these indicators.
With the WetFlyAmphibia project in the summer of 2017, it took extraordinary steps to save some Yellowbelly toad’s breeding sites, which were heavily affected by this long drought.
A rescue operation was carried out at Acquaviva in the town of Santa Sofia (FC). In this site there are drinking water tanks in which the presence of Yellowbelly toad has never been recorded due to the impossibility of amphibians to enter and exit the tanks. With the LIFE WFA project at the beginning of 2017, they were placed inside the tanks some stone stairs and, thanks to this small intervention, last spring was laid the first eggs. Unfortunately, drought has dried water in the tanks, so Park’s technicians and forestry carabineerhave intervened to save the tadpoles that were born, collected and transported them to another site with a good water reserve where they could complete their metamorphosis.
