Auckland's reptiles and amphibians under threat, report finds

Thursday, 10 March 2022

After taking care of 50 critically endangered Kapitia skinks for five years, and growing their population to about 70, Auckland Zoo released 42 of them back to their native habitat on the West Coast of the South Island. (video first published Novem

Native geckos, skinks and frogs are struggling in Auckland, and residents are being asked to help them by making changes to their gardens.

Auckland Council released its first Regional Threat Assessment for reptiles and amphibians on Thursday.

It found several reptile species were worse off in Auckland than nationally, including the tuatara.

The tuatara is at greater threat in the Auckland region than nationally. (File photo)

All native geckos and skinks were classified as threatened or at risk in Auckland, and five species were identified as regionally extinct.

**READ MORE:

Hochstetter’s frog is regionally declining.

* Auckland Zoo releases endangered Kapitia skinks back into the wild

* Scientists doubt pyrolysis plant is as green as marketing suggests

The forest gecko or Mokopirirakau granulatus is at risk in the Auckland region.

* This Is How It Ends: Small, secretive, and increasingly rare – why reptiles need our help

* New Zealand: Land of the lizards

The assessment also found the Hochstetter’s frog, which is found in the Hunua and Waitākere ranges, northern Rodney and Great Barrier Island, was regionally declining.

Sabine Melzer, Auckland Council’s senior bio information analyst, said the biggest threat to Aotearoa’s unique reptiles and amphibians were rodents, mustelids, hedgehogs, cats and habitat destruction through urbanisation.

“Reptiles and frogs play an essential role in our ecosystems and are part of the wider food chain.

“They eat insects but reptiles also love fruit and can act as pollinators for our native plants. They are also a food source for native bird species.”

The review, undertaken with several leading herpetologists, gave the council a baseline to monitor the reptiles over the coming years, she said.

Dave Houston, Department of Conservation technical advisor ecology, said people could do three key things to make their property reptile-friendly.

They were controlling predators by setting traps and keeping cats under control, providing good cover with dense vegetation, rockeries and logs, and provide food plants such as native coprosmas, rata, pōhutukawa, flax and mānuka.

The New Zealand Threat Classification System was used to assess the status of all reptile and amphibian taxa in the Auckland region.

Further information on attracting reptiles to your garden can be found on DOC’s website.