Conservation networks do not match ecological requirements of amphibians

Amphibians are among the most threatened taxa as they are highly sensitive to habitat degradation and fragmentation. They are considered as model species to evaluate habitats quality in agricultural landscapes. In France, all amphibian species have a protected status requiring recovery plans for their conservation. Conservation networks combining protected areas and green infrastructure can help the maintenance of their habitats and while favouring their movement in fragmented landscape such as farmlands. Yet, assessing the effectiveness of conservation networks is challenging. Here, we compared ecological requirements of amphibian species with existing conservation network coverage in a human-dominated region of western France. First, we mapped suitable habitat distributions for nine species of amphibian with varying ecological requirements and mobility. Second, we used stacking species distribution modelling (SSDM) to produce multi-species habitat suitability maps. Then, we defined species and multi-species core habitats and performed a connectivity analysis using Circuitscape theory to identify spatial continuity in suitable habitats at regional scale. Finally, we compared different suitability maps with existing conservation networks to assess conservation coverage and efficiency. We highlighted a mismatch between the most suitable amphibian habitats at regional scale and the conservation network, both for common species and for species of high conservation concern. We also found two bottlenecks between areas of suitable habitat which might be crucial for population movements provoked by global change, especially for species associated with hedgerow mosaic landscapes. These bottlenecks were not covered by any form of protection and are located in an intensive farmland context. Synthesis and applications We advocate the need to better integrate agricultural landscape mosaics into protected areas as well as to protect the associated extensive agricultural practices suitable for biodiversity, including extensive livestock farming. We also emphasize the importance of interacting layers of green infrastructure for amphibian conservation and the need for it to be effectively considered in land-use planning policies. Further investigations are needed to strengthen and restore habitat continuities in area with regional bottlenecks marked by rare and degraded semi-natural elements.