Protection for migrating amphibians: Students working to preserve endangered species
The local amphibians are beginning their migrations again due to the weather. Although twenty native amphibian species participate HBLFA in amphibian monitoring every year.
On March 25, 2025, 16 students from class 1L (Agriculture) actively helped to erect the amphibian fence in Pürglitz, Irdning-Donnersbachtal , together with mountain and nature wardens from the Grimming-Donnersbachtal station. As part of their biology lessons, the students received an introduction to native amphibians, their ecological value, and their behavior during the walk to the amphibian pond. The students also discovered several dead common toads on the busy local road near the work site. Since this is a road between Irdning and Aigen that is particularly busy in the mornings and evenings, signs reading "Caution: Toads" and a 30 km/h speed limit were erected by municipal employees to calm traffic. The municipal employees also provided the fencing materials and tools.
Upon arriving in Pürglitz, the students received instruction on how to use the materials and tools for building the fence. Thanks to the many diligent and skillful hands of the students, the fence on the hillside was quickly erected. Additionally, buckets were buried at ground level to collect the amphibians during their migration and then safely transport them to the pond – their spawning ground – on the other side of the road.
The students were very interested in the topic from the start and made an important contribution to amphibian conservation. Not only are many spawning grounds being lost, but the "green corridors" increasingly disappearing due to intensive farming, sealing or filling in ditches and wetlands, and roads often cross the migration routes, which can stretch for kilometers. Adverse weather conditions also affect migration and spawning seasons.
The Pürglitz amphibian migration route has been part of the amphibian monitoring program since 2016, which continues this year. Primary school children and the local community are also interested and happy to help. In the coming days, the mountain and nature patrol and interested members of the public will count and record the amphibians in the buckets twice daily, in the morning and evening. In addition to the species, sex, and number of each amphibian, any dead animals found, as well as general data such as time, weather, and temperature, will be recorded. The animals will then be taken to the pond to spawn. In Pürglitz, the mountain and nature patrol counts over 4,000 common toads, but far fewer agile frogs, common frogs, alpine newts, and smooth newts. Wetland habitats for amphibians have also been restored on the Trautenfels flowering meadows by the Nature Conservation Association and the HBLFA Raumberg-Gumpenstein as a so-called "renaturation measure" in protected areas. These are being very well received.
Further links
Amphibian Protection Archives - Styrian Mountain and Nature Watch Liezen
Amphibian Conservation Network - Nature Conservation Association of Austria
Images from the toad rescue operation
