Assessment Results
Hyperolius pickersgilli
Pickersgill's Reed Frog
Order:
Anura
Family:
Hyperoliidae
Synonym(s):
Assessed for:
South Africa
on:
17 Dec 2024
by:
AArk/ASG Southern Africa Workshop
Authors:
Adrian Armstrong, James Harvey, Jeanne Tarrant, Luke Verburgt
IUCN Global Red List:
Critically Endangered (CR)
National Red List:
(not assessed)
Distribution:
South Africa
Evolutionary Distinctiveness score:
14.33746925
Recommended Conservation Actions:
Additional Comments:
| Question # | Short Name | Question Text | Response | Comments |
| 1 | Extinction risk | Current IUCN Red List category. [Data obtained from the IUCN Red List.] | Endangered (EN) | |
| 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? | No / unlikely | Most of the species' range occurs outside of protected areas. |
| 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? | Yes / probably | This species now occurs in six provincial reserves, namely, iSimangaliso Wetland Park World Heritage Site, Umlalazi Nature Reserve, Amatikulu Nature Reserve, Meycol Nature Reserve, Ongoye Forest Reserve, Umhlanga Lagoon Nature Reserve; two municipal reserves, namely TC Robertson Nature Reserve and Empisini Nature Reserve on the south coast; and in several conservancy areas (such as Mount Moreland and Nkomba Conservation Area, Pennington). In 2023 and 2024, the first Protected Environments for the species were declared at Umgavusa and Widenham, respectively, through the Biodiversity Stewardship Programme (Armstrong et al. In prep). Coastal wetland habitat at two private estates (Zimbali and Simbithi) is actively managed with H. pickersgilli as a conservation target, and as such afforded unofficial protection as Other Effective Area-based Conservation Measures (OECMs). |
| 6 | Previous reintroductions | Have reintroduction or translocation attempts been made in the past for this species? | Yes, but unsuccessfully | Through a successful breeding program at the Johannesburg Zoo in 2012, nearly 800 captive-bred individuals have been released back into the wild at three sites within the range. No successful colonization to date. A PVA analysis is recommended to better inform this work. |
| 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 | Many agreements have been developed to protect the remaining habitat of this species. Wetland health assessments and rehabilitation plans have been developed for several sites (Edwards et al. 2023). Harvesting of reed resources has been regulated at Umlalazi Nature Reserve to avoid damage to habitat of H. pickersgilli and the Management Effectiveness Tracking Tool applied to the development of site-specific management plans for sites where habitat protection processes have been undertaken. Conservation management activities implemented by the Endangered Wildlife Trust and other partners include the clearing of over 950 ha of invasive alien plants at priority sites in eThekwini and iLembe District between 2018 – 2023. Three sites were included in the Biodiversity Stewardship Programme: Sobonakhona (503 ha), Widenham Wetland (3 ha), and Umgavusa (127 ha). The latter was declared a Protected Environment in 2023 and has a management plan in place, whereas the other two sites remain in the process for proclamation. |
| 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 | Concerted efforts should be made to improve protection status and management of sites prioritized through the Biodiversity Management Plan (BMP-S), with additional declarations facilitated through relevant land-owner agreements using the Biodiversity Stewardship program (or other relevant mechanisms). An offset banking system needs to be developed to secure priority sites of Indian Ocean Coastal Belt wetlands considering ongoing development pressures. Wetland rehabilitation should be implemented for those sites for which rehabilitation plans have been developed. The captive breeding program should be extended to additional facilities and supported by relevant in-situ research. Ongoing public awareness and fundraising efforts are required to support this work and the implementation of the next five-year iteration of the BMP-S. |
| 9 | In situ research | Is additional in situ research required to better understand the species, e.g. distribution, population trends, natural history etc.? | Yes | Research is still required to determine the overall population size, life history and ecology (in particular, dispersal potential and pathways), followed by appropriate monitoring of both population and habitat (for which monitoring protocols have been developed and tested). Passive acoustic monitoring work should be refined to obtain density estimates and assess habitat utilization. The effectiveness of wetland rehabilitation should be assessed over time. |
| 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 being managed - conservation dependant | The species is threatened primarily by habitat loss caused by urbanization, afforestation and drainage for agricultural and urban development, and more recently by dune mining and large-scale industrial developments.?The increased spread of alien vegetation is responsible for the degradation of several breeding sites. Sugarcane and non-native timber plantations directly impact breeding habitat through wetland drainage and planting within wetland buffers and cause the drying out of wetland areas. Without the active management of the five remaining threat-defined locations, this species would very likely go extinct. |
| 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? | Yes / probably | |
| 13 | Action plans | Does an Action Plan for the species already exist, or is one currently being developed? | Yes - completed | A Biodiversity Management Plan was developed and gazetted for the species in 2017 (Tarrant and Armstrong) to guide species recovery actions. During its first five years of implementation, coordinated actions were carried out by 24 organizational stakeholders, and of the 16 activities outlined, 65% are on-track; 17% are complete, 12% are planned and 6% have minor issues, demonstrating the effectiveness of the collaborative nature of the plan. |
| 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 | |
| 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 | Some researchers have suggested that this species should be recognized as the South African National Frog (as it resembles the South African colors). |
| 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? | No research dependent on this species | |
| 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.) | Yes / probably | The species was prioritized for ex situ rescue and supplementation in 2008 and since 2012 became the subject of a successful breeding program at the Johannesburg Zoo, through which nearly 800 captive-bred individuals have been released back into the wild at three sites within the range. In total, 140 mature adults were collected from the wild for the captive breeding and insurance population project. From these, 786 offspring were bred in captivity at the Johannesburg Zoo, with a mortality of 2%. |
| 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? | No / unlikely | An analog was already successfully identified for this species: Hyperolius marmoratus. Breeding of H. pickersgilli has now been successful in captivity. |
| 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? | Yes, bred to F1 | At the Johannesburg Zoo. |
| 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 | |
| 23 | Mandate | Is there an existing conservation mandate recommending the ex situ conservation of this taxon? | Yes | |
| 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 | |
| 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? | Yes / probably | |
| 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)? | Yes |
Citation:
Adrian Armstrong, James Harvey, Jeanne Tarrant, Luke Verburgt 2024. Conservation Needs Assessment for Hyperolius pickersgilli, South Africa
(AArk/ASG Southern Africa Workshop).
https://conservationneeds.org/assessment/7139
Accessed 22 Jan 2025
