{"id":20038329,"date":"2020-09-22T12:30:12","date_gmt":"2020-09-22T07:00:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.thethirdpole.net\/?p=38329"},"modified":"2021-01-29T18:10:53","modified_gmt":"2021-01-29T12:40:53","slug":"urbanisation-in-nepal-crushes-frogs-underfoot","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dialogue.earth\/en\/nature\/urbanisation-in-nepal-crushes-frogs-underfoot\/","title":{"rendered":"Urbanisation in Nepal destroys frogs\u2019 habitats"},"content":{"rendered":"

Every August, some communities in the Kathmandu valley in Nepal feed rice to frogs and worship them<\/a>. Chandramani Aryal, a herpetologist, was quite excited when he learnt about this, as someone who studies reptiles and amphibians.<\/p>\n

This joy has diminished over the past two monsoons. Aryal is increasingly aware that frogs are in trouble in the area. A study<\/a> carried out by Companions for Amphibians and Reptiles of Nepal (CARON), a herpetological research NGO<\/a>, as part of its annual activities, has found that Kathmandu\u2019s rapid urbanisation has had dire consequences for these amphibians. Aryal is a co-author of the study.<\/p>\n

As more roads are constructed around the capital of Nepal, the pressure on frogs will continue to increase, the study says.<\/p>\n

See:<\/strong> Steep global biodiversity loss puts humanity in peril<\/a><\/p>\n

Aryal\u2019s team studied frogs in the Kathmandu valley during the monsoon in 2018. They randomly selected 161 transects  \u2013 a line across a habitat or part of a habitat \u2013 across three geographies: rural (mainly forest with little agriculture), suburban (the area outside the Kathmandu valley ring road, with settlements and agriculture) and urban (inside the ring road).<\/p>\n

In total, frogs were present in 73 of 161 locations. They were found in 38% of transects in the rural area, 52% in the suburban area and 39% in the urban area.<\/p>\n

\"map
Area of study of the CARON report on frogs in the Kathmandu valley<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Why were fewer frogs found in forest-rural areas? Aryal attributed this to a number of factors, such as availability of water, and varying soil and air temperatures. \u201cFurther, it could be a consequence of some detection issues. We could not find the species when we visited, but that does not mean they were not there,\u201d he explained. The researchers searched for frogs for 30 minutes in each transect, looking under logs, stones and boulders and using nets in ponds, lakes and streams. There may simply have been more places for frogs to hide in rural areas.<\/p>\n

Roads to ruin<\/strong><\/p>\n

The research states that proximity to roads is the reason for the low number of frogs recorded in built-up urban areas. The report says, \u201cFrogs were reported from only 32.6% of the sites with high trail disturbance [the amount of human impact]. Of the sites with medium trail disturbance and low trail disturbance, frogs were recorded from 55.0% to 48.8% of the sites respectively.\u201d Frogs were also found further from roads in rural areas than suburban and urban sites.<\/p>\n

Roads were a significant factor in terms of the variety of species observed. The researchers recorded nine frog species in the rural areas, six in the suburban and five in the urban.<\/p>\n

The report says, \u201cInfrastructures [sic] such as roads result in modification and loss of wetlands that historically served as breeding habitats for amphibians\u2019 populations. The impacts include reduction in habitats for breeding or limiting the ability of adults to reach suitable breeding habitats.\u201d Aryal added, \u201cThe noise of vehicles also disturbs frogs.\u201d<\/p>\n

Road building has ramped up in recent years. Since the 2015 constitution gave powers to local governments, the pace of road construction has increased.
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