Government agency Ambjent Malta planning to
restore Wied Liemu valley channel to its original state after Painted frog
populations suggested decline due to destruction of habitat
August 16, 2019, by James Debonno, MaltaToday
Urbanisation threats to an indigneous frog
population has forced the environment agency Ambjent Malta to carry out
rehabilitation works by hand at the Wied Liemu water channel in Rabat.
The painted frog is Malta’s only amphibian but the
species has shown a worrying decline with the biggest threat coming from the
destruction of its habitat.
Government agency Ambjent Malta is now planning to
restore the one-kilometre-long Wied Liemu to its original state through the
manual removal of silt, the repair of channel walls and the construction of
arches using local globigerina limestone.
Wied Liemu is an upstream tributary that flows into
the Wied il-Fiddien and Wied il-Qlejjgħa valleys
Due to lack of maintenance, the channel is silted up
leading to localised flooding that results into exacerbated soil loss from the
adjacent agricultural land.
Most parts of the channel walls are damaged and some
sections of the walls have practically disappeared.
The channel is inhabited by ruderal plants and
numerous specimen of the painted frog (Discoglossus pictus).
The presence of these frogs means that works have to
be carried out in a meticulous manner to limit any impact on the amphibians.
(They didn’t ID this frog, but since it so different
from the painted frog shown above I have to assume it is the Levant water frog,
an invasive species threatening the painted frog.)
The biggest threat for the frog in Malta comes
from the destruction of its habitat
The removal of material will be carried out manually
and using handheld tools to lessen the impact on the fauna and limit damage to
the existing structures.
Ambjent Malta will also ensure that interventions
will be carried out during the summer period, when the channel dries out and
the frogs retreat into damper places away from the exposed parts.
The rehabilitation of this valley will also include
the replacement of various concrete bridges with arched limestone ones.
The painted frog inhabits several Mediterranean
countries but the species found locally is only present in Malta and Sicily.
This species is, however, showing a worrying decline.
The biggest threat for the frog in Malta comes from
the destruction of its habitat.
The highest numbers of frogs occur at Chadwick Lakes.
Chadwick Lakes also provides the highest number of
adjacent suitable habitats and a higher possibility for migration of the
species to other locations.
The frog population at Tal-Wej in Mosta is the most
vulnerable since the area and its catchment is almost totally surrounded by
urbanisation, eliminating any possibility for the species to migrate to
adjacent areas.
Lower precipitation is considered as a major threat
to the species. Another probable threat is the use of pesticides that poison
the creature and its food. The painted frog is also facing the threat of alien
amphibian species that could push it out of its habitat.
This has happened in some sites in Gozo where an alien
species, the Levant water frog, was introduced some years ago.
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