Table of Contents

1 Introducing amphibians
1.1 Amphibian diversity
1.2 Order Anura (frogs and toads)
1.3 Order Caudata (newts and salamanders)
1.4 Order Gymnophonia (caecilians)

2 Before you start surveying
2.1 Types of survey
2.2 Survey and monitoring programmes
2.3 Survey aims and resources
2.4 Collecting survey data
2.5 Survey permissions and licences
2.6 Health and safety, and biosecurity
2.7 Handling amphibians

3 During your survey: amphibian survey methods
3.1 Amphibian surveys in aquatic habitats
3.2 Amphibian surveys in terrestrial habitats
3.3 What other data should you collect?

4 After your survey
4.1 Arranging your data for analysis
4.2 Setting out your survey report
4.3 Who needs to see your data and read your report?
4.4 Taking amphibian studies further

5 Resources to help you
5.1 Example survey forms
5.3 Guides to amphibian identification and ecology
5.4 Other useful textbooks
5.5 Equipment suppliers
5.6 Amphibian study and conservation organizations and societies

References
Glossary
Index

About the Author

John Wilkinson is an amphibian biodiversity specialist, lecturer and writer who has spent most of the last twenty years carrying out, organising or writing about amphibian (and sometimes reptile) surveying, and trying to find ways the information generated can aid in the fight against amphibian declines. He currently works for the UK charity Amphibian and Reptile Conservation Trust and coordinates the National Amphibian and Reptile Recording Scheme (NARRS). He lives in north Dorset, near a toad pond.

Reviews

In my darker moments, I wonder if there is still a role for books in the modern screen-obsessed world. Then one comes across a book like this, where an expert with a lifetime’s experience provides a guide to everything that someone aiming to carry out amphibian survey and monitoring needs to think about. Splendid.
*BES Bulletin*

Evidence bases for conservation are becoming increasingly important to convince landowners and politicians of the need to take action in defence of species and habitats all around the world. A valuable feature of this book is its emphasis on collecting and analysing such essential information.
*Pyllomedusa*

As I read Wilkinson’s book I was struck by two things: 1) Wilkinson is a first-rate writer and 2) his considerable experience surveying amphibians in the United Kingdom is conveyed throughout the entire text. This is obviously a man who has spent a lot of time planning, conducting, and summarizing the results of amphibian surveys.
*Bulletin of the Chicago Herpetological Society*