Resurvey After 20 Years: Updating the Distribution, Population, and Potential Threats of the Chinting Alpine Toad

A resurvey of the Chinting alpine toad (Scutiger chintingensis), conducted over four years (2020–2023), reveals critical insights into its distribution, population status, and threats within UNESCO World Heritage Sites like Mount Emei. The study updates the species' known range, identifying a new lower-elevation limit, and documents significantly higher relative population density on Mount Emei (0.024 ± 0.012 ind./m²) compared to Mount Wawu (0.008 ± 0.017 ind./m²). Key threats include sewage discharge and tourism-related disturbances from scenic area development, underscoring the urgent need for conservation action. This research highlights gaps in historical data and suggests potential unrecorded populations or broader elevation ranges, emphasizing the importance of timely updates to guide amphibian protection efforts.

FAN, Y., CHEN, Q., CHENG, Y., TANG, K., SUN, L., HUANG, Y., ZHAO, L., LIANG, D., WANG, X., & HU, J. (2024). Resurvey After 20 Years: Updating the Distribution, Population, and Potential Threats of the Chinting Alpine Toad. Asian Herpetological Research, 15(2), 73–81. https://doi.org/10.3724/ahr.2095-0357.2023.0043