MONITORING BOMBINA BOMBINA POPULATION AND WATER QUALITY IN DENMARK

This year, Danish project partners received external assistance with monitoring their project area, Taarup Strand.

Marta, an ecology student from Italy, found the project on the LIFE AMPHICON website and decided to contact the project partners, Amphi International, about the possibility of an internship so that she could complete her master’s thesis.

Between May and September 2025, she participated in monitoring the population of Bombina bombina at the Danish project area, counting singing males in the spring and early summer and young individuals in the late summer. The population, which has experienced a significant decline in recent decades, is now gradually recovering thanks to the measures implemented in LIFE AMPHCON, especially population reinforcement.

In addition to monitoring the population, Marta collected data on water quality to investigate the relationship between the density of Bombina bombina population, reproductive success, and the quality of water habitat.  She took samples of aquatic invertebrates and vegetation at the Taarup Strand and Klintholm sites, as these groups are well established as bioindicators of water quality, especially when assessed together. The analysis of this relationship will form the basis of her master’s thesis, which she will write in the fall.

Marta’s research is closely linked to the broader conservation goals of the LIFE AMPHICON project, particularly the efforts to strengthen the Bombina bombina population that have been carried out at Taarup Strand between 2020 and 2024. Her work offers scientific insight into the relationship between habitat quality, ecological parameters, and the effectiveness of population enhancement measures. The results of her research will be a valuable contribution to the further monitoring and management of Bombina Bombina population, supporting the long-term conservation goals of the LIFE AMPHICON project.

Photo: M. Zanotti