The MRSN is a partner in the CALABRO ALPESTRIAN NEWT SAFEGUARD PROJECT

The MRSN, Regional Museum of Natural Sciences of Turin, is a partner in the CALABRO ALPESTRIAN NEWT SAFEGUARD PROJECT

Some 700 newts were freed into the wild 🦎

The Calabrian alpine newt, Ichthyosaura alpestris inexpectata, is a subspecies of alpine newt endemic to Calabria (Coastal Chain). It is threatened due to its narrow range and the disruption of its original habitats as a consequence of the introduction of allochthonous fish.

The Department of Biology, Ecology and Earth Sciences of the University of Calabria, in partnership with the University of L'Aquila, the Institute for Bio-economics CNR of Rome, the Regional Museum of Natural Sciences of Turin and the Aquarium-Vivarium of Lausanne, has been carrying out a project for the preservation of this amphibian. The aim of the project is habitat conservation and captive breeding.

In 2023, 40 adult newts were collected and subsequently transferred to the Aquatis aquarium-nursery in Lausanne, specialised in the breeding of freshwater fauna. The newts successfully reproduced and around 700 newborn newts (weighing between 0.13 and 2.6 g) were released into their natural habitats, where fish-free sites were created, in early November.

It is hoped these measures will secure this outstanding biogeographical unicum. The project foresees several further safeguarding initiatives, supported and financed by the Region of Calabria and supported by the Municipality of Fagnano Castello.