Release captive-bred salamanders (including newts)

Overall effectiveness category Unknown effectiveness (limited evidence)
Number of studies: 1
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How is the evidence assessed?

Effectiveness

70%
Certainty

30%
Harms

0%

Calculating overall effectiveness category

Study locations

Key messages

One before-and-after study in Germany found that captive-bred great crested newts and smooth newts released as larvae, juveniles and adults established stable breeding populations.

About key messages

Key messages provide a descriptive index to studies we have found that test this intervention.

Studies are not directly comparable or of equal value. When making decisions based on this evidence, you should consider factors such as study size, study design, reported metrics and relevance of the study to your situation, rather than simply counting the number of studies that support a particular interpretation.

Supporting evidence from individual studies

A before-and-after study in 1994–2004 of created ponds in wet meadows in the Luhe valley, Germany (Kinne 2004) found that released captive-bred great crested newts Triturus cristatus and smooth newts Triturus vulgaris established stable breeding populations. Newts colonized new ponds within four years. By 2004, they bred in nine of 14 ponds, inhabited all terrestrial habitats (at low densities) and had moved up to 4 km away. Fourteen ponds and many small pools were created and planted with aquatic species, as well fish removal from existing ponds and terrestrial habitat management. Initially, 24 of each species were housed in indoor tanks. In following years, eggs were produced in an outdoor enclosure and then collected and transferred indoors for rearing. Sixty captive-bred great crested newt and 90 smooth newt larvae and juveniles were released into two created ponds annually. In 2000–2004, 5–10 adults were also released into the two ponds.
Study and other actions tested
Referenced paper
Kinne O. (2004) Successful re-introduction of the newts Triturus cristatus and T. vulgaris. Endangered Species Research, 1, 25-40.

Please cite as:

Smith, R.K., Meredith, H. & Sutherland, W.J. (2020) Amphibian Conservation. Pages 9-64 in: W.J. Sutherland, L.V. Dicks, S.O. Petrovan & R.K. Smith (eds) What Works in Conservation 2020. Open Book Publishers, Cambridge, UK.

Where has this evidence come from?

List of journals searched by synopsis

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This Action forms part of the Action Synopsis:

Amphibian Conservation

Related Actions

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Use artificial fertilization in captive breeding Action Link	Trade-off between benefit and harms	4	Synopsis Link
Head-start amphibians for release Action Link	Trade-off between benefit and harms	25	Synopsis Link
Freeze sperm or eggs for future use Action Link	Unlikely to be beneficial	10	Synopsis Link