Temporal changes in the 
IUCN status of European herpetofauna

PI: Dr. Elina Takola

Shifts in the IUCN conservation status of European herpetofauna over time signal underlying ecological pressures and emerging conservation challenges. Quantitatively estimating these changes is essential for identifying species at greatest risk and evaluating the effectiveness of conservation measures over time. Herpetofauna, including amphibians and reptiles, are particularly sensitive to environmental changes, making them valuable bioindicators. By systematically analyzing shifts in IUCN statuses, researchers can uncover trends in extinction risk and link them to potential drivers such as habitat loss, land-use change, and especially climate change. Understanding these associations is crucial for predicting future vulnerabilities and guiding targeted conservation strategies across Europe’s rapidly changing landscapes.

A starred agama or roughtail rock agama (Laudakia stellio) in Greece.
A starred agama or roughtail rock agama (Laudakia stellio) in Greece (photo credit: Elina Takola©).

Collaborators 

(presented in an alphabetical order of their last name)

Jelka Crnobrnja-Isailović

Isabel Damas Moreira

Carolin Dittrich

Annegret Grimm-Seyfarth

Flora Ihlow

Belinda Kahnt

Katharina Ruthsatz

Dragica Šalamon

Inês Maria Simões Silva

Melita Vemberger

Anamarija Žagar

Open science & research transparency statement

We commit to conducting this project according to open science principles to maximize transparency, reproducibility, and reuse. Where feasible, we will preregister key research questions and the analysis plan, and we will clearly document and justify any deviations. We will share analysis code, workflows, and documentation using version control (e.g., GitHub/GitLab) and archive a release in a trusted repository (e.g., Zenodo/OSF) with a DOI. Data and metadata (including a data dictionary and provenance notes) will be deposited in an appropriate repository under an open license whenever possible. If data cannot be fully shared due to privacy, sensitive locations, legal constraints, or community/Indigenous data sovereignty, we will provide a transparent explanation, share de-identified or aggregated data when appropriate, and/or enable controlled access. We will support computational reproducibility by providing scripts to regenerate all results and figures and, where feasible, a reproducible computing environment. We will disseminate findings through preprints and open-access publication when possible and will make project outputs findable and reusable by following FAIR principles.