Can transborder wetlands be long-term refugia for herpetofauna in Uganda?

Abstract

Wetlands are one of the world’s most threatened ecosystems, yet they provide outsized ecosystem services compared to their global surface area. Africa is experiencing a burgeoning human population, and though border areas receive short-term pulses in transient population growth, borders often create legal and logistical barriers to long-term settlement. This lack of long-term settlement may leave border ecosystems more intact than those in more interior areas. Reptiles and amphibians are considered indicator species and thus can be used to assess the health and resilience of their habitats. We sampled the herpetofauna of three transborder wetland systems in Uganda using time-constrained visual encounter surveys during diurnal and nocturnal activity hours. We then compared the communities of these wetlands using alpha and beta diversity indices and provide baseline population data on these communities. These data will allow for future investigations of the ability of transborder wetlands to act as long-term refugia for herpetofauna, even as human populations continue to increase. Border wetlands may be vital in conserving Africa’s herpetofauna.