Assessment Results
Oreolalax sterlingae
Sterling's Toothed Toad
Order:
Anura
Family:
Megophryidae
Synonym(s):
Assessed for:
Viet Nam
on:
07 Mar 2017
by:
Benjamin Tapley
IUCN Global Red List:
Critically Endangered (CR)
National Red List:
(not assessed)
Distribution:
Viet Nam
Evolutionary Distinctiveness score:
13.57060962
Recommended Conservation Actions:
Additional Comments:
Assessors: Rowley, J.L. & Nguyen, T.Q.
| Question # | Short Name | Question Text | Response | Comments |
| 1 | Extinction risk | Current IUCN Red List category. [Data obtained from the IUCN Red List.] | Critically Endangered (CR) | Since the IUCN Red List Assessment for this species was published this species has been recorded 1km away from the type locality (near the summit of Mount Fansipan). Tadpoles have only been found at the type locality. |
| 2 | Possibly extinct | Is there a strong possibility that this species might be extinct in the wild? | No / unlikely | |
| 3 | Phylogenetic significance | The taxon’s Evolutionary Distinctiveness (ED) score, as generated by the ZSL EDGE program. (These data are not editable by Assessors). | ED value < 20 | |
| 4 | Protected habitat | Is a population of at least 50% of the individuals of the taxon included within a well-managed or reliably protected area or areas? | Yes / probably | This species is known only from a single stream at from approximately 2,700-2860m asl on Mount Fansipan in Hoang Lien National Park, Lao Cai Province, Viet Nam (Nguyen et al. 2013, Rowley et al. 2013, J. Rowley pers. comm. January 2016). Rowley et al. (2013) estimated that its range may include some of the few small, isolated areas above 2,700m asl in other parts of the Hoang Lien Son Mountain range. However, any such area is about 20 km or more away and separated by elevations under 1,000 asl, making the species' dispersal to these parts unlikely. However, it is likely to occur in the very small section of contiguous habitat extending 3 km west of the species' type locality into extreme-eastern Lai Chau Province. The species is very geographically restricted as its extent of occurrence (EOO) is 8 km2, which represents only one threat-defined location. These locations face significant threats due to development of infrastructure for tourism and all known locations are significantly impacted by tourism (litter, habitat destruction) |
| 5 | Habitat for reintroduction, conservation translocation or supplementation | Does enough well-managed and reliably protected habitat exist, either within or outside of currently protected areas that is suitable for conservation translocation, including population restoration or conservation introduction? | Unknown | This species occurs at high elevation sites. There are a limited number of sites within the Hoang Lien mountain range which may be appropriate in terms of habitat but these areas may themselves have unique amphibian assemblages which may preclude these sites as suitable sites for reintroduction even if it were deemed an appropriate conservation action. |
| 6 | Previous reintroductions | Have reintroduction or translocation attempts been made in the past for this species? | No | |
| 7 | In situ conservation activities | Are any in situ conservation actions currently in place for this species? (Only required if a Red List Assessment has not been completed, or if new actions have been implemented since the last Red List Assessment. (Information from the Conservation Actions section of the Red List assessment should be reviewed and considered when answering this question.). | Yes / probably | This species is known only from a single stream at from approximately 2,700-2860m asl on Mount Fansipan in Hoang Lien National Park, Lao Cai Province, Viet Nam (Nguyen et al. 2013, Rowley et al. 2013, J. Rowley pers. comm. January 2016). |
| 8 | In situ conservation activities | Are additional in situ conservation actions required to help conserve this species in the wild (e.g. habitat restoration and/or protection, control of invasive species, national legislation etc.)? | Yes / probably | Strategies for additional protection of habitat within its range are warranted as habitat degradation caused by tourism continues to be a threat. |
| 9 | In situ research | Is additional in situ research required to better understand the species, e.g. distribution, population trends, natural history etc.? | Yes | Further research into the species' ecology, distribution, relative population abundance, and past and current population trends would improve conservation decisions. |
| 10 | Threat mitigation | Are the threats facing the taxon, including any new and emerging threats not considered in the IUCN Red List, potentially reversible? | Threats are likely to be reversible in time frame to prevent further decline / extinction | The primary threat is the impact of tourism on the very small area that is occupied by this species. The impact of tourism could be reduced in the short term by offering strict protection of key sites, and improved waste disposal and effluent management at the type locality. This species could occur more widely but this is currently unknown. Vegetation adjacent to the stream is being cut for use as fuel (J. Rowley pers. comm. January 2016). Historic burning and subsequent ecosystem conversion of the summit of Mount Fansipan and adjacent areas, which are thought to have been previously covered in forest (Nguyen and Harder 1996), are also likely to have disturbed this species. The species' restriction to high altitudes near the mountain peaks will probably present an issue as tropical montane forests are expected to be particularly prone to alteration by climate change ( Foster 2001, Rowley et al. 2013). |
| 11 | Over-collection from the wild | Is the taxon suffering from collection within its natural range, either for food, for the pet trade or for any other reason, which threatens the species’ continued persistence in the wild? | No / unlikely | |
| 12 | Population recovery | Is the known population of this species in the wild large enough to recover naturally, without ex situ intervention if threats are mitigated? | Unknown | A limited number of tadpoles (<10) have been observed. Mount Fansipan has been surveyed relatively extensively compared to the majority of the region (e.g. Ohler et al. 2000, Nguyen et al. 2009, Rowley et al. 2013), however few surveys have detected this species and very little is known about the size and trends of its population except that it was locally abundant (>20 individuals observed) in 2012 and was observed again during surveys in 2015 (J Rowley, pers. comm. January 2016). The population is very likely to be in decline due to past and present habitat loss and disturbance, including pollution. |
| 13 | Action plans | Does an Action Plan for the species already exist, or is one currently being developed? | No | |
| 14 | Biological distinctiveness | Does the taxon exhibit a distinctive reproductive mode, behaviour, aspect of morphology or physiology, within the Order to which it belongs (e.g. Anura, Passeriformes etc.)? | No aspect of biology known to be exceptional | This is the only known member of the genus Oreolalax to be found in mainland southeast Asia |
| 15 | Cultural/socio-economic importance | Does the taxon have a special human cultural value (e.g. as a national or regional symbol, in a historic context, featuring in traditional stories) or economic value (e.g. food, traditional medicine, tourism) within its natural range or in a wider global context? | No | This species was described recently (2013). |
| 16 | Scientific importance | Is the species vital to current or planned research other than species-specific ecology/biology/conservation within the Order to which it belongs (e.g. Anura, Passeriformes etc.) e.g. human medicine, climate change, environmental pollutants and conservation science? | Research dependent upon < 6 species (incl. this taxon) | This species and system may provide conservation biologists with a good opportunity to develop threat mitigation strategies that could be used as a model elsewhere. This is because the species is range restricted, occurs at a high elevation site and faces threats that could potentially be reversed in a relatively short period of time. The primary threat to this species is the tourism industry due to the impacts of tourism on the type locality (habitat loss, effluent discharge from toilets, littering and disturbance) as well as at the only other known area where it is known to occur (large scale infrastructural development). Some of these threats are reversible in a relatively short time frame and mitigation strategies developed at this site could be used as a model at other upland sites where amphibians are threatened due to tourism. |
| 17 | Ex situ research | Does conserving this species (or closely related species) in situ depend upon research that can be most easily carried out ex situ? | No | |
| 18 | Ex situ conservation activities | Is any ex situ research or other ex situ conservation action currently in place for this species? (Information from the Conservation Actions section of the Red List assessment should be reviewed and considered when answering this question.) | No / unlikely | |
| 19 | Husbandry analog required | If an ex situ rescue program is recommended for this species, would an analog species be required to develop husbandry protocols first? | ||
| 20 | Husbandry analog | Do the biological and ecological attributes of this species make it suitable for developing husbandry regimes for more threatened related species? i.e. could this species be used in captivity to help to develop husbandry and breeding protocols which could be used for a similar, but more endangered species at a later stage? | No | |
| 21 | Captive breeding | Has this species been successfully bred and/or maintained in captivity? | Not held in captivity to date | |
| 22 | Conservation education/ecotourism potential | Is the species especially diurnal, active or colourful, or is there an interesting or unusual aspect of its ecology that make it particularly suitable to be an educational ambassador for conservation of the species in the range country, either in zoos or aquariums or within ecotourism activities? | No | This is one of only two species of amphibian in Viet Nam assessed as Critically Endangered. Whilst it is not brightly coloured or diurnal it inhabits an iconic upland site that is an important watershed and could be used as a flagship species for conservation. |
| 23 | Mandate | Is there an existing conservation mandate recommending the ex situ conservation of this taxon? | No | |
| 24 | Range State approval | If an ex situ initiative was proposed for this species, would it be supported (and approved) by the range State (either within the range State or out-of-country ex situ)? | Yes / probably | Probably, but this species could not be housed in any existing facility in Viet Nam should there be need to at a later date. This is because it is a high elevation, stream dwelling species and it would be difficult to recreate this environment in captivity in Viet Nam. |
| 25 | Founder specimens | Are sufficient animals of the taxon available or potentially available (from wild or captive sources) to initiate an ex situ program, if one was recommended? | Unknown | Research into availability of founders needs to be prioritised. No more than 15 specimens have been encountered at one time in the field |
| 26 | Taxonomic status | Has a complete taxonomic analysis of the species in the wild been carried out, to fully understand the functional unit you wish to conserve (i.e. have species limits been determined)? | No | Research into species validity needs to be prioritised. This species is morphologically distinct but robust phylogenetic analysis has not been completed. |
Citation:
Benjamin Tapley. 2017. Conservation Needs Assessment for Oreolalax sterlingae, Viet Nam.
https://conservationneeds.org/assessment/4021
Accessed 30 Jan 2025
