Threats assessment of the endemic idle crayfish (Austropotamobius bihariensis Pârvulescu, 2019) : lessons from long- term monitoring

Ács, Andrei-Robert (avtor), Ion, Mihaela C. (avtor), Miok, Kristian (avtor), Laza, Antonio V. (avtor), Pitic, Alina (avtor), Robnik Šikonja, Marko (avtor), Pârvulescu, Lucian (avtor)

The idle crayfish (Austropotamobius bihariensis Pârvulescu, 2019), endemic to Romania's Apuseni Mountains, urgently requires a specific conservation plan. Due to its recent description, conservation efforts have been limited, highlighting the need for immediate and practical recommendations to ensure its protection. Over 13 years, field observations were conducted to evaluate population trends and identify threats following IUCN standards. Additionally, geospatial assessments and predictive modelling were employed to estimate both the optimal habitat and current population size under three distinct scenarios. The primary threats identified include poor forest management, extreme drought, anthropogenic development and riverbed alterations, all contributing to declines in crayfish abundance. The most severe impacts arise when these pressures converge at a single site, compounded by a chronic, low-virulence crayfish plague infection (A-haplogroup). The total population is estimated at 31,150 (± 449.9 SE) individuals, with 1,163,754 m$^2$ of suitable habitat, of which only 37.9% lies within 13 protected areas under the most realistic scenario. Poor water quality was found to significantly reduce the modelled population size. In light of these findings, we propose a series of targeted conservation actions tailored for each protected area and highlight the importance of extending measures beyond their current boundaries. Additionally, we recommend implementing the ‘ark sites’ concept in regions with optimal ecological conditions, stable populations and genetic diversity, to reduce pressures and safeguard the species through effective field management.

• Jezik: Angleški jezik
• Ključne besede: crayfish, Austropotamobius bihariensis Pârvulescu, species conservation, data science, ark site, extinction, geodiversity data, habitat assessment, pressures assessment, protected areas, species conservation plan, distribution modelling
• Vrsta gradiva: Članek v reviji
• Tipologija: 1.01 - Izvirni znanstveni članek
• Organizacija: FRI - Fakulteta za računalništvo in informatiko
• Status publikacije: Objavljeno
• Različica publikacije: Objavljena publikacija
• Leto izida: 2025
• Št. strani: 13 str.
• Številčenje: Vol. 35, iss. 1, art. e70033
• PID: 20.500.12556/RUL-171511
• UDK: 595.3:502.172
• ISSN pri članku: 1052-7613
• DOI: 10.1002/aqc.70033
• COBISS.SI-ID: 224493315
• Datum objave v RUL: 27.08.2025

Gradivo je del revije

• Naslov: Aquatic conservation
• Skrajšan naslov: Aquat. conserv.
• Založnik: Wiley, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
• ISSN: 1052-7613
• COBISS.SI-ID: 513788185

Licence

• Licenca: CC BY 4.0, Creative Commons Priznanje avtorstva 4.0 Mednarodna
• Povezava: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/deed.sl
• Opis: To je standardna licenca Creative Commons, ki daje uporabnikom največ možnosti za nadaljnjo uporabo dela, pri čemer morajo navesti avtorja.

Sekundarni jezik

• Jezik: Slovenski jezik
• Ključne besede: raki, Austropotamobius bihariensis Pârvulescu, ogrožene vrste, ohranjanje vrst, zaščita, podatkovne vede

Projekti

• Financer: Drugi - Drug financer ali več financerjev
• Številka projekta: vPCE-2020- 1187

• Financer: EC - European Commission
• Številka projekta: 101081355
• Naslov: Machine learning for Sciences and Humanities
• Akronim: SMASH