Disordered Translocation is Hastening Local Extinction of the Chinese Giant Salamander

Biodiversity is declining globally by an unprecedented extinction rate. This is especially true for amphibians, accounting for 24.3% of all threatened vertebrates. As the largest extant amphibian species in the world, wild populations of the Chinese giant salamander (Genus Andrias) (CGS) have decreased dramatically because of overexploitation and habitat degradation. Translocation has become an important strategy for restoring threatened wild populations worldwide. However, disordered translocation usually has negative effects on the native populations. We provide an overview of CGS translocation and show that disordered translocation can increase local population extinction. Nearly four times the estimated number of wild individuals have been released across China. There a re three types of translocation used for CGS, namely, reinforcement, reintroduction and ecological replacement, the last of which accounts for over one-third of translocations. Our genetic screening revealed that most released individuals were not from local populations, with one to four lineages detected in every release site (n = 6). This disordered translocation can potentially reduce the genetic integrity of original populations. Hence, we suggest suspending current CGS translocation activities immediately, until more robust measures can be developed and implemented to improve the current translocation program, especially with respect to lineage identification and the identification of appropriate release sites.

Automated summary

Research suggests that disordered translocation of Chinese giant salamanders may have negative impacts on native populations, as most released individuals are not from local populations and could reduce the genetic integrity of original populations. Therefore, it is recommended to suspend current translocation activities until more robust measures can be developed and implemented.