Preserving the past, protecting the future: Historic village water tanks provide a lifeline for amphibians
by Kati Kietzmann, German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv)
June 2, 2025
In the quiet mountain villages of northern Portugal’s Peneda-Gerês National Park, centuries-old stone water tanks and irrigation channels may now be serving a surprising new purpose. Research published in Ecosphere and led by scientists at the German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) and Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg (MLU) reveals that these historic structures, once central to traditional village life, are now providing critical breeding and refuge sites for amphibians, as natural wetlands are increasingly under pressure from climate and land-use change.
At Peneda-Gerês National Park, Portugal’s first protected area and its only national park, pristine ecosystems blend with traditional villages that have existed for generations. As rural life fades and many of these villages are largely abandoned, the communal laundry tanks, stone fountains, and irrigation channels that once sustained rural life remain as quiet features in a human-altered protected landscape.
“As natural habitats face increasing pressure, understanding and maintaining these man-made refuges may be crucial for conservation efforts, ensuring even highly modified landscapes can support vulnerable species”, says Dr Jose Valdez, lead author of the study. To determine whether the historic structures could support amphibian populations, the team led by iDiv’s and MLU’s Jose Valdez and Professor Henrique Pereira conducted an extensive field study across villages in the park, including 162 bodies of water, including natural sites like ponds and streams, but also artificial structures, such as village tanks, fountains, and irrigation channels. The researchers recorded amphibian species richness, abundance, presence, and breeding activity to assess the ecological value of the bodies of water at each location.
Keep reading: https://www.idiv.de/historic-village-water-tanks-provide-a-lifeline-for-amphibians/
Read the Ecosphere paper: https://esajournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/ecs2.70294