Conservation Plan

Since 2005 a “SAND DUNE LIZARD STUDY AND CONSERVATION PROJECT” is carried out. This project includes several actions like educational campaigns, researches about this species and their habitat and the promotion of management strategies for the coastal dunes habitats.

There are several reasons that justify the urgent necessity of increase information about SDL wild population and promote a conservation strategy. Suitable habitats for this lizard are still available. However, there is a lack of coastal Reserves and dunes areas are suffering a higher human impact due to uncontrolled tourism and develop of coastal cities. In this framework, there are some common questions: is the protection of SDL population possible? Which are the risks that need to be reduced? How can we help SDL?

The need to protect SDL population is clear. SDL must confront all risks associated to “small populations”. Small populations increase the likelihood of population extinction by environmental stochasticity (Miller and Lacy 2005).This lizard also must confront risks associated to very specialized species. Analyzing information about SDL habitat use and behavior we detected some causes that could be affecting wild populations. Because of that, we decided to initiate management actions with the aim to protect this lizard and their habitat. Our effort was focused on research activities and educational campaigns. Clearly, summer tourism and coastal cities development is the most important cause of dunes habitat lost and fragmentation. Our work included population studies and educational actions.

In 2004, as part of a Ph.D. research program, a study of the population dynamics of this lizard was initiated. Due to its restricted distribution in dune islands, as well as its high degree of specialization for this particular type of environment, this species is an excellent model organism for basic ecological studies. Later, after considering the problems that affect this species, the project was expanded to include new aspects related to the protection of its relictual populations. The main goals of this project are: (1) Locating, assessing, and monitoring the status of wild populations, and (2) providing the general public with clear information about its circumstances, and taking action to promote conservation strategies for this species in particular and the sand dunes in general. This is accomplished by means of two interrelated programs, the RESEARCH PROGRAM and the EDUCATIONAL PROGRAM.

Literature Cited

Bertonatti, C., and J. Corcuera. 2000. Situación Ambiental Argentina 2000. Fundación Vida Silvestre, Buenos Aires, Argentina.

Bilenca, D., and F. Miñarro. 2004. Identificación de áreas valiosas de pastizal (AVP´s) en las pampas y campos de Argentina, Uruguay y sur de Brasil. Fundación Vida Silvestre Argentina, Buenos Aires, Argentina.

Cei, J. M. 1993. Reptiles del Noroeste, Nordeste y Este de la Argentina. Herpetofauna de las selvas subtropicales, puna y pampas. Torino, Museo Regionali di Scienze Naturali (Monografie 14), Torino, Italia.

Halloy, M., R. Etheridge, and G. M. Burghardt. 1998. To bury in sand: Phylogenetic relationships among lizard species of the Boulengeri group, Liolaemus (Reptilia: Squamata: Tropiduridae), based on behavioral characters. Herpetological Monographs 12:1-37.

Kacoliris, F., J. Willimas, G. Sánchez Véliz, and A. Rafael. 2008. Observaciones sobre el uso de cavidades en la arena por parte de la lagartija de los médanos (Liolaemus multimaculatus). Cuadernos de Herpetología 22:87-89.

Kacoliris, F. P., N. Horlent, and J. Williams. 2006. Herpetofauna, Coastal Dunes, Buenos Aires Province, Argentine. Check List 2:15-21.

Lavilla, E., E. Richard, and G. Scrocchi. 2000. Categorización de los Anfibios y Reptiles de la República Argentina. Asociación Herpetológica Argentina, San Miguel de Tucumán, Argentina.

Miller, P. S., and R. C. Lacy. 2005. VORTEX: A Stochastic Simulation of the Extinction Process. Conservation Breeding Specialist Group (SSC/IUCN), Apple Valley, MN, USA.

Vega, L. E., P. J. Bellagamba, and L. A. Fitzgerald. 2000. Long-term effects of anthropogenic habitat disturbance on a lizard assemblage inhabiting coastal dunes in Argentina. Canadian Journal of Zoology 78:1653-1660.