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According to the entity, climate change is harshly exposed in our latitudes. According to Asociación Hombre y Territorio, the alteration of rainfall patterns will be especially relevant in priority ecosystems such as temporary lagoons (Habitat 3170) and their associated biodiversity, including amphibians and reptiles (especially aquatic), organisms that are likely to suffer from a significant reduction in the habitat available for them to develop their lives. These organisms provide ecosystem services, maintaining the ecological balance in the bodies of water in which they live (preventing the proliferation of mosquitoes, for example, in the case of amphibians). The green spaces of cities are strategic places to adapt and mitigate these effects, if habitats are favored to support these changes and favor connectivity.

The main objective of the project has been to promote tools for environmental improvement of urban green spaces in relation to amphibians and reptiles.

Specific objectives include:

• Generate new habitats for amphibians and reptiles in urban green areas.
• Promote the inventory and monitoring of the biodiversity of new habitats.
• Generate resources for environmental management and education linked to the project.

• Bibliographic review. In this activity, 20 scientific articles, manuals and guides on pond restoration, herpetology, translocation of amphibian species and other subjects related to the project were reviewed.
• Preliminary evaluation and selection of areas of interest. After proposing a series of spaces, the decision was finally made to act in the Alamillo Park in Seville. for the construction of a series of ponds.
• Pilot action for habitat adaptation for herpetofauna. This activity included the construction and restoration of abandoned ponds and infrastructures and the creation of new habitats to facilitate the presence of amphibians.
• Post-performance evaluation. The objective of this activity was to observe the naturalization of the new areas and to monitor the entry of new amphibian species into the restored and/or created habitats.
• Preparation and distribution of a manual with strategies to be followed for municipal management and with strategies to be followed for environmental educators. As part of this activity, a manual entitled “General criteria for the creation or recovery of ponds for amphibian reproduction” has been drafted for distribution to 30 Spanish cities or municipalities interested in the project.
• Dissemination and communication of the project with almost 25,000 interactions, dissemination of up to 3 videos on social networks and publication of 11 news items about the project in digital media.

The project “Tools for the improvement of urban green areas for herpetofauna threatened by climate change” has contributed to generate new habitats in order to promote the presence of amphibians and reptiles in urban green spaces. For this purpose, it has been developed in a restricted access area located in the Alamillo Park in Seville, considered one of the most important green spaces in Andalusia.

As part of the project, 6 new ponds have been created and another existing one has been restored. After the implementation of the ponds, habitats have been generated and the settlement of different species of fauna and flora has been facilitated, in a coordinated restoration and regeneration action.

The following species have also been inventoried; common frog (Pelophylax perezi), Iberian paint-colored toad (Discoglossus galganoi), St. Anthony’s frog (Hyla arborea), gallipato(Pleurodeles waltl), viperine snake or water snake(Natrix maura), as well as invasive exotic species that have been removed from the ponds, including exotic turtles and fish of the genus Gambusia.

The project has contributed to mitigating the effects of climate change The impact on freshwater ecosystems on which numerous species of wildlife depend, for example, amphibians and reptiles with aquatic habits, since the seasonal precipitation regime has been clearly altered in environments with a Mediterranean climate, such as the city of Seville.

On the other hand, the initiative underlines that Mediterranean temporary ponds are considered a priority among the habitat types of community interest (Habitat 3170) and that all actions aimed at their conservation and management should be carried out with the aim of protecting them. conservation and protection of fauna and flora species that they harbor contribute to the fight against biodiversity loss in a context of climate change.

In addition, the actions carried out within the framework of the project contribute to the implementation of the National Strategy for Green Infrastructure and Ecological Connectivity and Restorationby favoring the installation of temporary water points in urban and peri-urban areas that can help increase functional and structural connectivity between populations of amphibians, reptiles and other species associated with freshwater ecosystems, thus facilitating an increase in biodiversity.