The Zoological Society of London and the Green Camel Bell got together to prepare a Conservation Action Plan for Chinese Giant Salamanders (Andrias sp.) through a participative workshop in Lanzhou, China, in October 2023.

The Plan is now released in English  and Chinese, and ready to be used for the conservation of all species of the genus. Here the link of the official release by the NGO Green Camel Bell, in Chinese. PDFs to the English and Chinese versions of the Action Plan are available.

Participants at the Conservation Action Plan Workshop for Chinese giant salamanders held in October 2023, Lanzhou © Green Camel Bell.

The conservation plan starts by introducing the genus through its complicated taxonomic background, biology, breeding behaviour, diet and ecological role, and finally its habitat requirements and resource assessment. Next, the conservation needs of the genus in China is introduced through the historical and current distribution of the species, along with abundance and population trends.

Chinese giant salamander larvae from a farm in Guizhou Province © Benjamin Tapley / ZSL

The conservation plan then introduces threats and limiting factors, including releases, hybridisation, disease, overexploitation, habitat loss and degradation, and climate change. Based on these threats, an assessment of the extinction risk is provided, along with conservation management recommendations and a long-term recovery plan with specific tasks to follow.

Ranked threats for Chinese giant salamanders

Recommended citation:

Mao J, Li C, Liu C, Zhao Z, Fan X, Wang J, Luo Q, Zhao T, Wang W, Ouyang F, Wang J., Qiao, Z., Liang, Z., Lin, W., Wang, P., Gong, D., Liu, W., Yan, F., Cunningham, A.A., Tapley, B., Turvey, S.T. and Borzée, A. 2024. A conservation action plan for Chinese giant salamanders.

Mao J., Li C., Liu C., Zhao Z., Fan X., Wang J., Luo Q., Zhao T., Wang W., Ouyang F., Wang J., Qiao Z., Liang Z., Lin W., Wang P., Gong D., Liu W., Yan F., Cunningham A.A., Tapley B., Turvey S.T., Borzée A.