Ground into powder, brewed as a tea, or soaked in alcohol – this is the fate of many geckos, victims of superstitions that attribute special healing powers to these animals. There is no scientific evidence to support these claims, yet the demand for these supposed remedies is constantly growing. Geckos face a multitude of threats in general. These range from pollution and habitat loss to damage from invasive species, climate change, excessive collection for the pet trade, and use in traditional Asian medicine and as a delicacy. Moreover, some gecko species have very small ranges, making negative impacts have a significant effect on the survival of the respective populations.
Currently, more than one-fifth of all listed geckos are classified as threatened on the IUCN Red List. For over 241 gecko species, the threat status is unknown. Population surveys are needed to make a statement about the situation of each species. As the populations of many gecko species are acutely threatened and continue to decline, geckos are now to be put in the spotlight for a year.
The William's Dwarf gecko is found exklusively in an 8 square kilometer habitat in Tanzania. Due to habitat destruction and poaching, the gecko species is highly endangered. For their entire life cycle, blue gecko rely on the Pandanus palm (Pandanus rabiaiensis). However, the palm species is being displaced by invasive plants and destroyed by wildfires.
The funds raised by the "Species of the year" campaign will be used to establish and develop a new protected area to expand the habitat of the geckos and reconnect gecko populations that have become isolated due to habitat fragmentation. By creating firebreaks, the spread of the wildfires will be contained. Watchtowers will be manned, also to combat poaching.
The blue gecko serves as an ambassador for the Kimboza forest. Numerous other animal and plant spacies will benefit from these conservation measures. Examples include dwarf chameleons and black-and-white colobus monkeys.
There are over a hundred gecko species in Vietnam, many of which aren't scientifically described. Among the described species, the psychodelic rock gecko (Cnemaspis psychedelica), tiger gecko (Goniurosaurus spp.), Vietnamese golden gecko (Gekko badenii), ben-toed gecko (Cyrtodactylus spp.) and Reeven's Gecko (Gekko reevesii) stand out, whether due to their appereance, discovery history or endangerment. Because these species all have one thing in common - they face a multitude of different threats.
While Tokeh geckos are still widely distributed and classified as "Least concern", their populations are declining rapidly as these animals are believed to have healing properties in traditional Southeast Asian medicine. Although this is superstition, hundreds of thousands of Tockay geckos are captured, killed, and sold as purported medicine. These adaptable cultural followers are now becoming increasingly rare.
Vietnamese golden geckos are critically endangered, although they are not traded as medicine, but rather as local delicacy. They are caught in snares and proccessed into food. The other mentioned species fare no better, as they are also collected, their habitats are shrinking, or they are changing too rapidly due to climate change.
Just as the threats are diverse, so too are the project goals in Vietnam. Campaign funds will be used to establish new captive breeding centers or expand existing ones in several regions of Vietnam. Various equipment and transportation means will be financed for the project teams. For some species, population surveys are necessary, as their distribution range and current threat status are uncertain.
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